Seven Titans
by Mike Stormm
Summary: AU. When a madman's army threatens all of ancient Japan, seven young warriors must unite to protect their homeland. Their destiny would forever change the fate of a nation. Ch8 - Our heroes continue west and find themselves once more in front of the enemy
1. When Old Meets New

**Disclaimers**: Insert the usual legal mumbo jumbo here. I do not own the Teen Titans or any of its characters. The original concept for this story was inspired by the artwork of Sergio Quijada (of .cl). Though inspired by historical events, this story does not represent the events and individuals of the Sengoku Era of Japan's history.

**Author notes**: Please bear in mind this is an alternate universe fiction based in ancient Japan. All Titan characters have been renamed and redesigned so good luck figuring out who's who.

* * *

**Prologue: The History of Chaos**

It was the Sengoku period, more commonly known as the Warring States period. Nearing the middle of the sixteenth century, decades of political instability, internal strife, and the diminishing influence of the Ashikaga shogunate has led to a fractured Japan on the verge of total war. Regional lords, or daimyo, arose in the midst of ever-growing political vacuums. Chaos spread throughout the land as dreams of conquest filled the minds of many daimyo. Already powerful clans, such as the powerful Andero clan of the Kai province, expanded their sphere of influence in all directions. Other lords, who had remained unknown in the centuries before, would have their opportunity to rise into power.

In 1559, the unknown son of an insignificant daimyo had completed seizing control of the Owari province. With his newly secured power and wealth, the ambitious daimyo sought to expand his status and make his name known throughout Japan. In the following year, though with only a small detachment of soldiers at his disposal, the daimyo targeted a surprise attack on one of the most powerful daimyo of Eastern Japan – Yoshimoto Imagawa. Though outnumbered almost ten-to-one, the young daimyo was able to charge into the Imagawa base camp and slew the feudal lord. With the head sliced off, the body of the Imagawa army began to wither and the clan's control over other daimyo began to waver. It was in this moment of confusion that the young daimyo was able to forge an alliance with another young and promising daimyo – known simply as Chinou. Intelligent, dedicated, infinitely patient, and ambitious as well, Lord Chinou commanded the loyalty of a strong army and several powerful retainers including Shiruba-ura, the samurai worth a thousand, and Fujin Niiro, a ninja without equal.

With an army strong enough to hold up the daimyo's ruthless reputation, the alliance set forth to continue expanding their territory and power. Through it, they began to attract the attention of many powerful warriors and daimyo also wishing to make a name for themselves – the resourceful Brother Ketsueki; Katarou, the Tiger of Owari; Jumon, Chang, and Kei, warriors known for their magical prowess; and the shadowy Ru-Batten, a renowned fighter in service of the Mori clan. The young daimyo set his sights upon the vast armies of the Andero clan and their legendary cavalry.

Surely this daimyo was mad, thought most of his retainers. While their armies were more numerous than the Andero, the Andero cavalry alone could handle more than five times their number in infantry. With Chinou's assistance, though, a plan was formed – a plan that would forever shape the course of Japan's history and bury the Andero cavalry into the annals of history. The ways of old would clash with the new age.

In the late sixteenth century, the armies of Owari marched forward towards the Kai province and the Andero clan. It wasn't long before the scouts came rushing into Andero castle with only four dreadful words in his lungs.

"Lord Keikoku is coming."

And so a story begins where heroes are born and legends are made and the fate of a nation is shaped by the few. Seven young souls are about to embark on one of the greatest adventures known to Japan. A zealous ninja, a princess thrown into war, a ronin with a heavy curse, a miko with a dark past, a wanderer from across the sea, a battle-hardened maiden, and a samurai with unconquerable spirit. This is the life and death of the Seven Titans.

Our tale begins in the morning of the battle of Nagashino…

* * *

**Chapter One: When New Meets Old**

**Andero Base Camp, near Nagashino**

The soft breeze of the spring air carried the scent of war across the landscape. Campfires, forges, hundreds of horses, and thousand upon thousands of men packed into small clearings created a musky odour that was all too familiar for the veterans. The sun was just beginning to climb over the horizon but the world was already stirring. Across the small clearing where the base camp had been set up, soldiers, engineers, and humble servants milled about gathering all they would need in the coming hours. There was an anxious, yet excited, air about them. Battle was on its way but morale was still low from the ill-timed passing of their great leader only a few years ago. Leadership of the clan had been passed down to the oldest Andero son, though unfortunately the youngest of three children. Ryu Andero was young and brash and still inexperienced in the ways of warfare. Compared to the eldest sister, he still had much to learn. Unfortunately, in a perfect world Ryu would have the chance to learn from the best but with an army marching upon your province, the only training Ryu would get his real-world experience. To help their lord through this hardship, much responsibility has fallen to the leading generals of the Andero army, two of whom weere the elder sisters to young Ryu.

Up high on one of the hills overlooking the forests, creeks, and lowlands of Nagashino, a lone figure was silhouetted by the glow of the rising sun. Long locks of red hair flowed down her neck and over the armour plates over her shoulders. The light purple-painted plates of shingled conformed closer to her chest and arms, ending at the four sheets of shingled plates that wrapped around her waist overtop of black cloth pants. Her vibrant green eyes stared up to the sky that was painted in majestic shades of purple, red, and orange – her favourite colours. The sight made her smile softly in delight; if this were to be her last day, at least she would have the satisfaction of this sight to start that day.

Her name was Kori Andero, a warrior princess of the Andero clan and the second child of her generation. Known more for bright-eyed naivety and optimism than her combat prowess, her hopes are high that this coming battle will be her chance to redeem her father's name. Widening her stance and lowering her body, Kori gripped her sheathed katana firmly and drew it out with a wide, seamless sweep. The morning light shimmered off her curved blade as it danced through the air in an eloquent and deadly dance. Her unbound hair trailed behind the motions of her body as she weaved around the blades and foes in her mind. The tip of blade glided through the blades of grass at her feet, sending the grass tips fluttering into the air in the updraft her movements created.

She came to a rest in a semi-crouching position with her blade position defensively in a horizontal position in front of her face. Her eyes drifted shut, listening to the air of her surroundings. In the distance, she could faintly hear the footsteps of her people as they prepared for battle. One sound rose above the others though; they were heavier and faster footsteps that were rapidly growing louder and closer. At first she thought it might've just been a messenger until she heard the distinct noise of another blade being drawn. Immediately, her eyes widened and she ducked into a roll just as another blade sliced the air that she once occupied. Holding the blade was another warrior, clad in similar armour except darker in colour and consisting of more sheets of armour on other vital points and wearing a kabuto helmet with a facemask that bore demonic fangs.

"Prepare yourself!" The distinctly feminine voice of the assailant called out as she held up her blade. Not even giving Kori a chance to brace herself, the warrior charged and their blades clashed in a flurry of strikes. The stronger, more precise blows of her adversary were quickly pushing Kori back to the edges of the hill's plateau. In desperation, Kori thrust her sword, only to watch her opponent sidestep it and then take hold of her forearm in order to pull Kori across the field and off-balance. Stumbling to regain her balance, Kori managed to straighten up in time to receive a swift kick to the chest, knocking her off her feet. Growing more desperate, Kori swung her sword wildly at her adversary while still on the ground. "Come on! Stop guarding and fight back!"

Kori tried to heed the taunts as she slowly scrambled back to her feet. This time, she didn't give her opponent time to press the attack and went on the offensive instead. Her blade struck with strength and precision now in a series of thrust and slashes. Alas, after effortlessly parrying the sudden offensive, the masked fighter struck Kori's hand with the hilt of her sword and sent Kori's blade tumbling into the air. She froze on the spot, breathing delicately as her opponent's blade pressed lightly upon her neck.

"That was pathetic," her opponent scorned.

"You did not give me time to prepare Komi," Kori replied as her assailant removed the blade from her throat. "I was trying to relax."

"This is relaxing," Komi remarked before letting out a hearty chuckle, shortly followed by Kori. "I don't understand why you insist on being here dear sister, fighting has never come as naturally for you and I won't be able to assist you if you find yourself surrounded," she continued, sheathing her blade and removing her facemask. The dark-eyed and more matured face of Kori's older sister was smiling confidently as always; she was one of the few in the base camp who's morale was sky-rocketing at the prospect of battle.

"Well not all of us have as much time to sharpen their blades as you," the younger sister retorted. Pulling her blade out of the earth and sheathing it promptly, young Kori couldn't help but wonder if her older sister might've been true with her words. While her sister might've bolstered a powerful reputation, Kori had yet to seriously make a name for herself on the battlefield. "I am here because I want to be. I have yet to participate in a battle of this scale."

"I completely forgot about that," Kori's sister remarked with a great deal of enthusiasm. "Which means you've yet to choose a nickname."

"I think it is a bit earlier for that. It would be wiser to wait to see if I am worthy of one."

"Nonsense!" Komi scoffed as she patted her sister firmly upon the back. "No sister of mine is going to fight by my side without a proper battlefield name."

"I…cannot think of any though," Kori shrugged, a little embarrassed. Most people knew of Kori's sister by her battlefield name, leaving Kori feeling a bit over-shadowed.

"Then let's think for a second," Komi immediately pounced upon the opportunity to suggest some prospects. "Well, you're always staring up the stars at night and we have to go with the usual family theme. How about…Sutaakaki? It's a pretty good combination when you throw it alongside Kurokaki."

"Sutaakaki huh?" Kori mused, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "The sisters Sutaakaki and Kurokaki. Oh Komi, I think it is a wonderful name. Thank you so much for suggesting it!" Sutaakaki translated roughly to 'Starfire', while her sister's nickname, Kurokaki, meant 'Blackfire'.

"Good – now come on before we're late for the war council," Komi switched the subject back to the serious matter at hand. She took hold of her sister by the arm and proceeded to drag her little sister back to main camp. "We're going to show Keikoku and his men how stupid they are for thinking they can mess with us. So help me, I'm going to bring one of his general's head back to base upon the end of my spear!"

"Just leave some for me, okay?" The siblings shared a hearty laugh on their way down the hill. The army's morale might be waning but the two sisters were as hopeful as ever about the upcoming battle.

By the time the two sisters arrived at the base camp, the sky was beginning to turn blue, the air was beginning to warm in the sunlight, and the war council was just beginning to start. Shaded beneath a large canvas tent, a wooden table and a dozen seats had been set up. Upon the table was a map of the region with numerous red and blue T's to represent the regiments of each army. With the exception of two seats, the other generals of the Andero army was already sitting and waiting for the young sisters to finally show up.

"My apologies if we're late but I had to teach my sister a few things so she'll be able to get out of this fight alive," Kurokaki promptly explained. If there was one thing that her little sister was good for, it was getting out of trouble. Every general would bend over backwards for Kori. "I assume there won't be many last minute changes to the battle plan?" The other generals nodded accordingly, including their younger brother who sat at the end of the table, adorned in very ornate armour of gold and blue paints.

"We were just about to decide who will lead the charge," another general spoke up, the one who happened to be sitting next to Kurokaki. His name was Fureasei and he was the one who normally had the honour of commanding the Andero cavalry. Much like Kori and Komi, he wore a full suit of samurai armour, except his was painted green with a large red star upon his chest. His kabuto helmet also bore a red crescent, which framed his strong, squared face that smiled pleasantly to the sisters.

"Am I to believe that the almighty Fureasei is willing to give up the honour of first blood to another? What prompted this generosity?" Kurokaki mused, though her words carried a rhetorical undertone to them. "This doesn't have to do with Keikoku's formations and his scores of arquebusiers?"

"Nonsense. There is nothing in Keikoku's army that frightens me. Anything they throw against us shall be plowed down by the might of our cavalry," Fureasei promptly denied, eliciting a small chuckle from the table. "I believe it would be a morale-boost to see a member of the Andero family leading our troops into battle. I had suggested that you, Komi, would be an ideal choice."

There was a round of nods and murmured agreements from the other generals and while Komi felt flattered, she had a much better idea. "While I would be honoured, I think it would be a bigger boost if Kori had the honour of leading our forces." While there was a quiet agreement to the suggestion of Komi, there was an even greater one for when Kori was nominated. There was no denying the fact that the common soldier was far more favourable to Kori than anyone else.

"I…I would be honoured…if that is acceptable to our lord." Kori's words were followed by a sudden silence with every turning to Lord Ryu Andero – he nodded his acceptance.

"With the decided, let us go over our strategy one more time," Fureasei announced as he rose from his seat. With a simple wooden stick to act as a point, he directed the people's attention to the map and its layout. "Keikoku and Chinou's army have set up camp upon this hill. Their major infantry forces are deployed along the slope of the hill and Keikoku's arquebusiers will likely form a protective barrier in a shallow arc in front of them. Due to the landscape, the cavalry will only be able to charge through the center against the arquebusiers.

"Umm…what exactly is an arquebusier?" Kori shyly peeped up. While most of the table looked to her as though she was still a bit ignorant of the world, Fureasei humbly answered the question with the same level politeness.

"An arquebus is a kind of hand-held cannon. It is uses a lit match to ignite black powder within the barrel to launch a small metal bullet forward," Fureasei explained.

"It's crude, inaccurate, smoky, and slow," Kurokaki then interrupted. "If this map is to scale, our cavalry have only a short distance to travel after we leave the cover of the forest. It shouldn't take very long to clear that distance, at which point Keikoku's armies will scatter like leaves in the wind." Her confidence was bustling even more so at the sight of this battle plan. In her mind, the arquebusiers would be able to get a volley or two off before the cavalry overwhelmed them.

"If our archers provide the advancing cavalry with a few volleys of arrows to thin out their numbers, there will be little left for our cavalry to worry about," Fureasei continued. "Once the cavalry has scattered the front lines, the remaining forces will flood through the gap and Keikoku's base camp will crumble in seconds." Once again, there was a number of nods and murmurs of agreement. Perhaps morale did not need to be high off the bat. Once their soldiers witness the cavalry smash through Keikoku's front lines, morale would skyrocket and the new leader of the Andero clan would make a name for themselves. With a unanimous decision upon the plan, the generals at the table were all dismissed and began to make the final preparations for battle. As Komi prepared to leave, the sight of her sister still sitting at the table, looking over the map, stopped her.

"What are you still doing here?" Komi asked. "You have a charge to prepare for."

"I have a bad feeling about this sister. This plans seems too…obvious. I do not believe Keikoku will be caught unprepared by our charge."

"And what the hell is he going to do to stop it? If he knew it was coming, he would've surrender immediately. Besides, we have one more advantage…" Her sister's voice trailed off as Komi motioned for her to look skyward. Dark clouds could be seen gathering in the distance and were approaching quickly. "Rain is coming sister and arquebuses need to stay dry in order to work. I will be amazed if they could even get one volley off properly."

"Perhaps…you are correct. I am certainly worrying too much about this."

"I could've told you that," Komi muttered indignantly as she pulled her sister out of her seat. "Now less worrying and more preparing…before I take your place in the lead of the charge."

"Yes sister," Kori humbly heeded as she headed out to organize her troops. Still, though, Kori worried about the transparency of their strategy…and even worse about that stream she saw on the map that separated the last quarter of the charge.

* * *

By mid-morning, the rain was steadily pouring upon the landscape. The forest provided some canopy for the advancing Andero armies, much to the relief of the sisters. Accompanied by Fureasei and all on horseback, the trio was calm surprisingly despite the prospect of battle so close to them now. The edge of the forest was still some distance away but already the three could hear the sounds of combat in the distance.

"It sounds like our forward guard has encountered some scouting parties," Kurokaki mused as she listened to the sounds. Sutaakaki was the only one who wasn't smiling at that moment. With their spears in hand, Kurokaki took the lead as her horse trotted casually ahead of the advancing line.

"Why has brother not sent the orders to commence the attack?" Sutaakaki pondered. Though her naivety was a bit amusing, Fureasei and Kurokaki both knew that Lord Andero was also young and inexperienced – he might be reluctant to give the order. Kurokaki, though, was still counting on their father's reputation to prompt Lord Andero to give all his effort into this battle. Now was not the time to second-guess one's abilities.

"Be patient young Sutaakaki. Um…where is your helmet anyways?"

Fureasei's comments brought Sutaakaki's attention to the lack of a metal helm upon her head. She flustered brightly in embarrassment as she tried not to draw too much attention to her forgetfulness, though her older sister was already well aware. "I swear your head is everywhere except where it needs to be," Kurokaki scorned. In a surprising act though, Kurokaki leaned forward and pulled her helmet off and held it out to her sister. "Can't have you going into battle not properly dressed."

"I think your helmet might be a bit big for me," Sutaakaki answered, though accepted the helmet from her sister due to how correct she was.

"Then grab a sash or something and wrap it around your head." Heeding her sister's advice, Sutaakaki quickly found a length of cloth she didn't need and proceeded to wrap it around her head. She was still feeling grossly embarrassed over the whole ordeal but Sutaakaki tried not to let it show to her friend and sister, who were both containing their laughter.

A loud galloping caught their attention as they looked to a rider coming in from the direction of their base camp. It was just a messenger runner, which meant that their lord had finally given an order. "Lady Andero!" The runner called out.

"Which one?" Fureasei replied.

"Umm…the one leading the charge," the runner answered as his came slowed to a stop next to the three warriors. Kurokaki and Fureasei immediately pointed over to Sutaakaki, who was still trying to get her helmet on with one hand. "The Lord Andero has ordered that you take your cavalry and crush the forward enemy parties at our frontlines. Once they have broken ranks you are to continue your charge to the enemy frontlines and scatter their soldiers."

"You heard the man, get a move on sis," Kurokaki insisted while giving her sister's horse a slap on the behind, prompting it to start trotting towards the frontlines. "Our little girl goes out a princess and will come back a warrior."

"I pray that you are correct Komi," Fureasei replied softly, watching the princess hurry to the front. "We should move our cavalry into position; we will be expected to join the offensive on your sister's flanks. Would you care for the left or the right flank?"

"My people are already on the right flank. There's more open ground to cover but with those arquebuses soaked from the rain, it won't really matter which side I'm advancing from. I just hope I get a chance to meet some of those famous samurai under Keikoku and Chinou's command. I don't suppose you've heard the rumors about them?" The two began a steady trot to the frontlines

"I have heard numerous rumors but I don't pay attention to them unless something piques my interest. Which specifically are you referring to – the giant, the rock, or the devil?"

"Devil? Haven't heard that one."

"Supposedly one of Chinou's retainers is an actual devil with skin that burns like hot coals, giant horns sprouting from his head, and can spit searing flames from his lips. I hope for a chance to see if the rumors have any roots in reality."

"Great," Kurokaki sighed as she rolled her eyes. "First an undefeatable samurai, then a samurai made of rock, and now a fire-breathing devil. If anything, these rumours have at least given me something to look forward to in battle. Fighting those idiots from Echigo has gotten to be a bit repetitive after all these years. Speaking of which, haven't really heard much from them in a while."

"Well, ever since your father died, they have lost interest in us. There's also word that the threat from Keikoku's army has focused his attention to the possibility of invasion from him." The two came to a stop near the frontline, where they would need to part ways in order to meet with their respective troops. Fureasei paused with that contemplative look that Kurokaki was all too familiar with. "Do you believe that Keikoku might have the right idea though?"

"About what?"

"Everything…" Fureasei's last words left an air of confusion between the two but Kurokaki had learned long ago not to question her friend's contemplative remarks. She simply shrugged her shoulders and directed her horse to continue on to the right, forward flank.

* * *

"They're falling back!" The voices of her fellow warriors rang out through the entire forest. Sutaakaki's steed trotted slowly to the edge of the woods while she stared out to the black-armoured foot soldiers of Keikoku's army beat a hasty retreat back to their frontlines. Sutaakaki had arrived too late at the front for her spear to taste blood but there was still the main offensive ahead and its prospect of bloody combat to sate any bloodlust she might have. To her rear, the archers of the Andero army were already launching volleys of arrows at the enemy frontlines in order to thin their ranks and instill panic and fear amongst them.

"All units fall in!" Sutaakaki shouted as she raised her spear into the air. From the edge of the forests, more than a thousand horseback warriors emerged from the woods and form a line at its boundary. The rain was pelting down hard now but few even noticed the weather at this point. The open field lay before her…only a couple hundred meters of open field lay between her and her adversaries with only a small stream potentially impeding their charge. However, that was when her eyes fell upon the enemy frontlines for the first time that day.

Indeed the arquebusiers made the bulk of the frontline soldiers…but they took shelter behind massive wooden stockades that formed a staggered line across the length of their front. The number of arrows embedded into the wooden structures meant that the volleys were proving ineffective against the infantry's protection. Spears and rifle barrels extended from the openings in the stockades, creating a massive defensive front.

Her orders were to charge though…and charge she would.

"Andero cavalry…charge!" Her orders were echoed across the entire line as the thunderous roar of thousands of hooves began to beat upon the earth. The Andero cavalry swept across the open fields, mowing down the few stragglers of the retreating forces, yet there was no sign of the enemy formations breaking rank. Larger armies had scattered at the mere sight of a cavalry charge and yet the common foot soldier was managing to keep formation. Perhaps the gravity of the situation had yet to set in for the soldiers…

Or maybe they had no reason to fear the cavalry.

The rain was heavy; the arquebusiers were supposedly incapable of operating under such conditions. Whoever said that was dead wrong.

A terrifying crackle echoed through the entire frontline of the opposing army accompanied by thick clouds of smoke billowing from the wooden stockades. Cries and grunts of agony began to sound from the Andero ranks as the barrage of bullets struck down dozens upon dozens of warriors and their horses. The initial volley felled almost a hundred – acceptable loses by any warlord's standards. Now Sutaakaki had been told that even a good soldier took around fifteen to twenty seconds to reload their arquebus, which meant that the surviving cavalry would be able to span the remaining distance before many more volleys could be fired. Surely the enemy formations would scatter once the cavalry fell to within a few dozen meters of the frontlines. The order held – "Keep charging. Break their ranks before they can reload."

But the enemy lines didn't falter; nor did it take even half the time she was told for a second volley to be fired. A second wave of crackles and smoke came from the enemy stockades and once more dozens of her cavalry were shot down from their steeds. The second volley was even more devastating than the last due to the shorter range. By then, the remaining cavalry forces from the forest began their charge, joining the fight as Sutaakaki pressed on. Everyone on the frontlines began to wonder how the enemies could fire so quickly; little did they know the enemy arquebusiers had arranged themselves into three firing lines. When one fired, the other two were given time to reload. While each volley was less powerful, it allowed even the slow-firing arquebus to give a steady stream of gunfire on advancing troops. The stream only slowed the cavalry even further and left them exposed at an almost ideal range for the arquebusiers to deal maximum damage against them. Sutaakaki was only halfway across the stream when the third volley was fired and a tremendous force struck her in the head.

Her head snapped back, followed by the rest of her body as the momentum carried her off her horse and falling straight into the stream where her head smashed painfully against an exposed rock.

Only thanks to her helmet was she able to stay conscious after the fall, though incredibly dazed. Though her vision blurred and dazed, Sutaakaki could see her fellow warriors continuing to try and press forward. Every volley fired resulted in more of her comrades falling to the ground. Those that made it to the blockade were overwhelmed by the spearmen that awaited them as they were funneled into the openings between stockades. After almost a dozen volleys, confusion and panic began to set into the Andero ranks. Nobody was making it through…nobody. The last thing Sutaakaki saw her own sister calling for a general retreat and then darkness overtook her senses.

As the Andero cavalry began retreating back to their lines, the armies of Keikoku and Chinou began to pursue. Their cavalry was the first to charge out into the field, followed by thousands of infantry shortly afterwards. Across the entire field, the once invincible cavalry of the Andero clan lay in ruins. A whole generation of training and workmanship was destroyed by only ten minutes of gunfire.

"This can't be happening!" Kurokaki shouted in anger as she allowed her steed to come to a halt in the shelter of the forest. All around her, her comrades were fleeing back into the denser parts of the woods where the cavalry would have trouble catching up to them. Kurokaki had been forced to leave her spear on the field as she tried to hold into the horse's rein with one hand while the other applied pressure to an open wound in her shoulder.

"Lady Komi!" A familiar voice called out – it was Fureasei. He stopped just ahead of her and while he might have had a concerned look on his face, he was just as frustrated as Kurokaki was. "You cannot stop here. We must continue to pull back and form a rearguard for our lord's retreat."

"I can't keep riding with a wound like this," Kurokaki growled bitterly. Sighing reluctantly, Fureasei pulled up alongside his friend and with a quick motion, pulled her onto the back of his steed.

"Do you…know of your sister's whereabouts?"

"I…saw her fall on the field," Kurokaki reluctantly answered. "Along with most of our forward line."

Without the strength of their cavalry, the remaining soldiers of the Andero clan were vastly outnumbered and outmatched by Keikoku's army. Those that could fight would be charged with providing a rearguard while the generals and Lord Andero retreated from the field. Alas, those that try to stand their ground would surely be slaughtered without any chance of defending themselves.

* * *

When mid-afternoon rolled around, the rain had finally stopped and the sun was shining once more. The once noisy battlefields of Nagashino had fallen silent in favour of Keikoku's army. The fields, once green with plant life, were stained red with the blood of nearly five hundred horsemen. The only movement, aside from a gentle breeze, was that of the black-armoured soldiers of Keikoku's army that were scouring the field in search of survivors and the bodies of high-ranking officers.

In the midst of black-armoured figures, a single samurai dressed in blood red armour stood near the stream looking down at the unconscious Sutaakaki that lay half-submerged in the water. Horns protruded from his helmet and white tufts of hair were visible around his face, which bore skin that was as red as his armour and eyes as yellow as the sun. "Lord Shiruba-ura," he called out to another individual on the field. The man who answered was a hefty and stocky figure who had hair brimming from beneath his armour and helmet and an angered glare almost permanently etched onto his visage. The sunlight glistened off his silver-metallic shingled plating that contrasted with the dark garments worn underneath. He was certainly a massive figure, almost a whole head taller than the red-armoured samurai and almost twice as thick. If it weren't for the fact that he always looked angry, one might think he was irked by the request.

"What is it?" he asked in a deep, baritone voice.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the Andero use women in their cavalry," he remarked as he pointed to Sutaakaki. Shiruba-ura pondered audibly as he gazed upon the young woman, finally realizing whom it must've been.

"That must be Komi Andero – the one they called Kurokaki."

"Kurokaki? Odd name for somebody with nothing black on them."

"This coming from the person nicknamed 'Oni-kun' even though they aren't a child anymore?"

"Good point. Is she still alive?"

Shiruba-ura crouched and checked to see if she was still breathing. Despite the large bullet hole in her helmet, she appeared to be relatively unharmed. Though confusing at first, after pulling off the helmet and seeing the huge tear in the cloth wrapped around her head, it was obvious why the bullet failed to kill her and instead only left a grazing wound along her forehead. "She is merely unconscious," Shiruba-ura answered as he picked the girl up. "Lord Chinou will be pleased to have such a notorious figure as his prisoner."

"Yeah…but he's just going to give her over to Keikoku. He can be a bit of a suck-up at times…" the young red samurai muttered, much to Shiruba-ura's distaste.

"If it weren't for Keikoku, the Andero cavalry would've torn through our ranks like they were nothing. Our lord knows that Keikoku is not one to be opposed, so you will understand if our lord wishes to remain on good terms with him. Now continue searching while I deliver the prisoner."

"Oh no you don't! I'm the one who found her, I'm not letting you take all the credit," the red samurai promptly answered as he kept pace with Shiruba-ura en route to the base camp. They day had been won for the Keikoku army. Soon word would spread of this victory across the land and people would realize that this army was something to be feared. Even the once mighty armies of the previous decade were no match for him.

Every lord in the land would feel a little bit less secure after today.

* * *

**History behind the Story:**

The real Battle of Nagashino took place in 1575 between the Takeda and Oda-Tokugawa armies. Oda's new tactics using the arquebuses decimated the old tactics of the Takeda cavalry. Almost two-thirds of the Takeda army was destroyed in the battle, dealing them a crippling blow they never recovered from. The battle was considered a major turning point in the way war was fought at the time and established the arquebus as an effective, though problematic, weapon of war.


	2. Shadows of Evil

**Chapter Two: Shadows of Evil**

**Nagashima Main Fortress**

Lord Keikoku's expansion through Owari's neighboring provinces was met with constant resistance but few armies had ever hindered the combined armies of Lord Keikoku and Lord Chinou significantly. The Andero clan was a major threat to Keikoku's power but the battle at Nagashino had been a pre-emptive strike in order to destroy the Andero threat before it got out of control and, in the end, even the Andero clan was incapable of stopping him.

The Ikko-ikki, however, had proven to be a strong opponent to Keikoku's expansion. Not even a real clan or army, the Ikko-ikki was an alliance composed of humble peasants, priests, monks, and a handful of local noblemen that had been in existence for well over a century. Up until Keikoku's campaigns, the Ikko-ikki had been quiet and non-problematic for they believed in the use of force for defense only and when Keikoku began to sweep across the land, the Ikko-ikki stood in his way. Though without an organized army, the Ikko-ikki had constructed a series of fortresses and castles, known as Nagashima, within the Owari province itself and had repelled two sieges by Keikoku in the past three years. After two sieges, the Ikko-ikki had established themselves as proficient users of arquebuses and excellent tacticians at siege warfare. Keikoku was angered greatly by the stifling resistance put up by these 'peasant warriors' and vowed that he would see their fortresses burn to the ground one day.

As such, though peace existed within the walls of Nagashima, its denizens knew that Keikoku and his armies could return at any day. The walls had been fortified several times over; cannonades were emplaced along the walls facing both land and sea; and any adult male was shown how to carry, load, and fire an arquebus. They knew what happened to those that opposed Keikoku – a warrior monk sect at Mount Hiei had their temple burned to the ground along with every man, woman, and child within it. Should Keikoku breach the walls of Nagashima, there would be no mercy to the warriors and their families within.

The people of Nagashima had been enjoying a tense period of peace since the summer of the previous year. However, a fresh summer was coming and the people were worried that a new summer would prompt the return of Keikoku and likely in even larger numbers than before. Rumors of the rise of Keikoku's naval forces had spread throughout Nagashima's populace. It would only be a matter of time before Keikoku devised a plan to breech the fortress' defenses. Keikoku was stubborn but he was not stupid and he wouldn't return unless he had a winning strategy on hand. The last siege of Nagashima was won thanks heavily to the sudden rainstorm that had doused the arquebuses of the Keikoku army and left the terrain bogged down. Rain would likely not save the Ikko-ikki if a third siege happened.

Nagashima wasn't the only vestige of the Ikko-ikki. Another castle, Ishiyama Hongan-ji, was already under siege by Keikoku's forces and had been that way even longer than Nagashima. Neither fortification could send their forces to help the other. Nagashima might not be under siege but the surrounding regions were under Keikoku's control and no army of theirs would be able to march unseen through them. All the people of Nagashima could do was sit, wait, and hope that somebody in Japan had the strength and resolve to stop Keikoku's forces. Morale, unfortunately, was very low in the complex; they were simply too deep in Keikoku's territory to be worth the effort of rescuing. It was likely that only the death of Keikoku himself would be able to stop the inevitability of Nagashima's fate.

Much of Nagashima's success against Keikoku was owed to a nobleman who had assumed a sort of leadership role at the fortress. His name was Daichi Wayanabe – a nobleman who had opposed Keikoku's rise to power from the beginning and allied himself with the Ikko-ikki when he heard of their plight. He was a powerful man as well as rich and well versed in the art of combat. While much of his fortune was put to use providing food, supplies, and equipment to the people of Ikko-ikki, he opposed the use of his funds to purchase arquebuses from sympathetic gunsmiths. Daichi held no love for the arquebus and it was only because the survival of the people depended upon their use did he allow their continued presence within Nagashima. Wayanabe's skills on the battlefield were without reproach and it had been rumored that he had once served as a ninja of the Iga clan. The Iga ninjas were some of the best in the land and, unfortunately, served directly under Lord Chinou.

During his stay at Nagashima, Wayanabe took the time to help train many of the inhabitants in the ways of ninjitsu in order to prepare them for the likely deployment of ninjas against the fortress. Though still inexperienced, the handful of ninjas at Nagashima would be pivotal in the event of a siege.

One such student of his, though, was a nameless orphan found in the aftermath of the first siege three years ago. With no name, no past, and no family, Wayanabe took the child in under his wing and began training him as a protégé. He was simply referred to as Komadori, after the flock of birds that were found around him when he was first discovered. He was quiet and reserved at first but took to Wayanabe's training quickly and soon became one of his most promising students.

Every night, including this particular night, Komadori could be found sitting silently in the courtyard of the central keep. He would always meditate for a short while after a training session with his sensei. He stood out amongst the gray stone tiles in his white keikogi that was stained with some sweat and blood. A few beads of sweat still clung to his spiky, obsidian hair and though his body ached from training, he remained perfectly still…until he heard some footsteps approaching him.

"Komadori," a familiarly stern voice spoke up from nearby. He immediately recognized it as belonging to his master, Daichi. "You ended your training session early tonight. Might I ask what's troubling you?"

"Nagashino," Komadori replied quietly, obviously hiding any hint of emotion in his tone. "Keikoku defeated the Andero clan."

"I know. I heard the news as well," Daichi remarked, running a concerned hand through his short, dark hair. "Probably the only army that can stand to oppose Keikoku now is the Uesugi clan of the Echigo province."

"Like they'll make a move any time soon…" Komadori growled in disgust. It was no mystery that Komadori had no liking of Keikoku and would like nothing better than to see them ground into dust and he had put a lot of hope into the Andero clan actually being able to drive them back. Alas, it seemed even more hopeless now, as the mighty cavalry of the Andero were smashed to pieces by Keikoku's invincible war machine. Surely after such a victory he would turn his attention back to Nagashima and ride the momentum of victory. "Why are we sitting here anyways?" he asked, rising to his feet. "We number almost 20,000 strong now and our people are growing anxious and weary of waiting for death to come to our doors."

"Calm your temperament Komadori," Daichi replied calmly. "If we marched our troops out, where would we go, hm? How far do you think we'd get before his armies surrounded our troops, destroyed them, and then came to this defenseless fortress and put it to the torch? You are brave and skilled…but you keep forgetting to think about the bigger picture."

"I am thinking plenty of the bigger picture. We cannot survive here forever…and with every siege we will grow weaker and fewer in number."

"And you don't think I know that?" Daichi shouted harshly. "I am aware that we are alone, isolated, and with no allies for hundreds of miles. I am aware that there is nobody who will come to our rescue and that we will most likely die at Keikoku's hand."

"Then we should take the fight to him! It would be better to die on our feet with a weapon in our hands." Patience was not one of Komadori's strong suits and he had long since picked up on his sensei's stubbornness as well. Though they butted head on many occasions, nobody trusted Daichi's judgment better than Komadori.

"And become a footnote in the annals of history? I think our people deserve better than that if they are to die. I would at least die with some satisfaction knowing that we caused more damage to Keikoku's forces than any other force in Japan. It's not much but…we don't have the luxury of choice in this case. I'm sorry Komadori…but we have to stay here. I am not going to let these people die so far away from their home for nothing." When Daichi put his foot down, there wasn't a damn thing that Komadori could due to change it. He only sighed and tried to convince himself that it was Daichi's greater knowledge and experience talking. It was no mystery that Komadori yearned to be more like his sensei and while he was much younger, thinner, and less experienced than Daichi, he had more determination and enthusiasm for his discipline than anyone else in Nagashima.

"There has to be more we can do," Komadori muttered to himself as he simply marched off to return to his bedchambers for the night. Daichi was left lingering over his protégé's words, wondering perhaps if there was some truth to it all.

* * *

Komadori always had trouble sleeping on nights like tonight where news of Keikoku's success continued to pile upon their doorsteps. Morale was at an all-time low and the night was darker than usual, which made it almost perfect for a new offensive. Komadori was half-expecting to see the flags and torches of the Keikoku army rise up over the horizon…or at least those of one of Keikoku's allies. However, the landscape was kept under a veil of darkness…not even the slightest sign of an advancing army. If he did come, Komadori figured that the only satisfaction he would get in this life would be to see Keikoku die by his hands. But what were the chances Keikoku would take position anywhere near the frontline this time? During the second siege the Ikko-ikki arquebusiers came so close to shooting down Keikoku in their counter-attack but their shots failed to find their mark.

Damned inaccurate weapons…had they been archers Keikoku would be dead.

Komadori could still vividly recall the one time that he saw Keikoku on the battlefield. The man's orange and black armoured suit stood out amongst his minions but when Komadori saw him, he was almost red with blood from head to toe. And that stare…his one-eyed stare; just one look made Komadori almost freeze in his tabi boots. Komadori watched as Keikoku slaughtered the entire squad of soldiers he had been accompanying and was powerless when he tried to strike down the daimyo. The words the daimyo spoke to him before oddly sparing his life still lingered on his mind as fresh as they day he heard them.

_"Fly away little birdie…this is not your destiny."_

Every night Komadori wondered why he had been left to live when a dozen other soldiers were slaughtered without mercy. Ruthless did not even begin to describe Keikoku on the battlefield. Komadori only prayed that he would one day have a second chance to get revenge on that man. More training was needed though; he simply wasn't strong enough yet.

Like with every restless night, Komadori decided to turn to a light midnight snack to help calm his temper…plus training had left him a little puckish. However, even a snack didn't help that much as his tapped the bottom of his wooden bowl idly with his chopsticks. He listened to the sounds of the night…the flutter of the occasional bird, the rattle of chimes and lanterns outside, and the subtle creaking of the wooden fortress. Komadori thought it was strange that the creaking at his balcony had fallen silent so suddenly…it was usually loud enough to keep him up at night.

There was somebody on the balcony.

Suddenly, two ninjas burst through the balcony doors. Draped in dark cloths, the two assailants wasted no time in charging at Komadori, hurling a pair of throwing knives at him. Reacting instantly, Komadori turned the bowl on its side and used it to ricochet the first knife while the second impaled the improvised shield. His attackers promptly drew out their short swords and flanked to his sides for their attack. However, Komadori was a lot faster than either of the older ninjas, quickly alternating between the two as he weaved around their attacks and continued using his wooden bowl to block their strikes. Blocking a high strike from one ninja, Komadori swiftly counter-attacked with a kick to the gut followed by another kick to the second assailant that tried to take Komadori from behind. Using the brief lull in the fight, Komadori flipped the bowl over and pulled the throwing knife free from his 'shield' then quickly whipped it into the second ninja's leg.

The first ninja tried to attack again but when he stabbed Komadori turned the bowl upon him again. The ninja's sword slid effortlessly into the hole left behind by the throwing dagger, allowing Komadori to spin and flip the bowl around to pry the sword from his hand. Young Komadori caught the hilt of the sword easily and with a flick of the wrist the bowl was flung over to the wounded second ninja, smacking him right in the head and toppling him over quickly. Though disarmed, the first ninja wasn't ready to give up…though he should have. Komadori made two quick slashes across the ninja's chest before turning about and delivering a backhand stab to finish the intruder off.

"I'm guessing it'd be pointless to ask you to surrender," Komadori mused, twirling the ninjato idly in his hand. To no surprise, the ninja said nothing and instead hurled a pair of throwing stars at his adversary. Komadori quickly dove forward, straightening his body so that the two throwing stars glided just inches shy above and below him. He landed into a front roll that he emerged from to deliver a precision thrust that felled his opponent and barely making a sound in the process. Had this been a proper assassination attempt, Komadori would've executed the strike flawlessly.

"Iga clan…" he muttered quietly as he looked to the garbs worn by his attackers. The Iga ninjas wouldn't have been deployed against Nagashima unless there was an siege underway or immanent and even then it didn't make much sense since the ninjas appeared to be attacking the people in the keep rather than sabotaging the vital points of the fortress' defense lines. Why would the Iga ninjas be here? The reason dawned upon the young lad swiftly. "Sensei!"

His master would be residing in one of the highest rooms of the keep, which meant Komadori had a lot of stairs to climb in order to reach him…or he could take the quicker route and climb the outside of the building. Grabbing his favourite wooden staff from his weapon rack, Komadori raced out to the balcony and onto the rooftops.

Meanwhile at the top of the keep, Daichi was already well awake from the strange noises he heard from the lower floors. It didn't take a genius to realize that somebody had infiltrated the keep and was causing havoc for the guards and soldiers in the lower floors. Feeling it would be best to prepare, he headed over to the weapon and armour racks that were on the far side of the room. Numerous blades, staves, knives, bombs, and other useful tools were laid out in shelves and racks but the first things that Daichi went for were the armlets. Composed to durable steel and adorned with a set of claw-like extensions along its length, the armlets was his favourite tool of the trade and he quickly locked both securely onto his forearms. The moment they were secured, he stopped what he was doing and calmly relaxed his posture. He should've seen this coming…

"You can come out," he spoke casually, even though there was nothing but light and shadows in his room. "I was wondering when he would get around to sending you."

Like stepping through a doorway, a figure emerged from the shadows along the far wall. Draped entirely in black clothes with a distinct feminine figure and though only her eyes were visible, Daichi already knew who it was. Her name was Fujin Niiro, the lurker of the shadows, the stalker in the night, and the most feared ninja in all of Japan whose very mention has caused warlords to surrender in terror. "My lord has commanded for me to bring him your head. If you surrender now, I promise I will make it painless," her smooth, yet malicious voice chilled the air like the morning frost.

"You're welcomed to try Niiro."

"So be it!" Niiro shouted before leaping towards Daichi. Her arm suddenly extended beyond any human limits and smashed through the wall just inches shy of an evading Daichi. Just as quickly, the arm retracted and pulled Niiro towards her target. This time, Daichi dove to the side as Niiro slammed feet first into the wall again and then sprung off to attack again. Daichi was much faster than Niiro though. Before she could even make her next attack, she slammed face-first into Daichi's foot, launching her right back into the wall.

"Still spry as ever old man," Niiro remarked, rising to her feet without so much as a sign of soreness from Daichi's attacks.

"And you're still as headstrong as ever." Now it was Daichi's turn to take to the offensive. A drop kick square to the chest kept Niiro pressed up against the wall, though all of his follow-up punches only impacted against the wall as she contorted her body in ways that made a person question whether she even had a skeleton anymore. Niiro's arm extended once again and quickly wrapped around Daichi's body then gave him a hefty heave to the other side of the room. The downward trajectory didn't give Daichi enough time to recover and he skipped across the floor before crashing into his bed. When Niiro began to close in, the balcony door burst open with young Komadori entering the fray.

"Komadori don't!" Daichi shouted in vain as his young protégé attacked the shadowy Niiro. His staff struck right on target but Niiro head simply swayed from the blow like she was made of jelly. Komadori didn't even get a moment to question the reality of what he just saw before being backhanded and sent flying across the room.

"Something…wasn't right there," he groaned as he got back to his feet.

"Get out of here Komadori, you're no match for her," Daichi explained as the two stood at the far end of the room from Niiro.

"And leave you alone with her?"

"You're not ready for this yet. It's not your time!"

"My time?"

"Don't argue and run!" Daichi knew Niiro wouldn't hesitate to try and use Komadori against him and he couldn't allow her to exploit that weakness. He rushed Niiro, going more on the offensive than he felt comfortable with and prayed that Komadori would listen. His attacks were precise and vicious, using the talons upon his armlets to rake across Niiro's body…though every tear only released small tufts of smoke before sealing right back up. The attacks might not be inflicting permanent harm but Daichi knew Niiro better than anybody else and knew how to wear down the ninja who had been described as being totally and utterly relentless.

Unfortunately, Komadori was young, reckless…and probably a little on the stupid side, as he charged to join in on the fight. He didn't realize that his blunt staff would do little to nothing against Niiro's unique body structure. The protégé flanked to the side and jumped in to attack but Niiro saw the boy's plan and managed to pull Daichi inwards and threw the master into the path of the apprentice. Daichi had no choice but to duck quickly to avoid a catastrophe, which gave Niiro the opening she needed to sweep an elongated arm low and knock his legs out from under him.

Komadori's second attack was more successful. He quickly recovered from his botched first attempt and moved in to stop Fujin Niiro from striking his fallen sensei. Her talon-like finger extensions were swiftly met with an upward strike with his staff, knocking her hand aside and leaving an opening for Komadori to deliver a powerful thrust. The result took the inexperienced warrior by surprise…though everything about Fujin Niiro was puzzling at best. The staff went straight through her chest, despite the impossibility of him actually being able to do that. More puzzling, though right on par with everything thus far, was the lack of bleeding or grunts of discomfort. Instead, she simply grabbed hold of his staff and pulled it to the side; the staff passed through the rest of her body like gliding through water, leaving behind only a few whisps of smoke as the hole filled itself immediately afterwards.

"What the devil are you?" Komadori sneered.

"Your worst nightmare made corporeal," she simply mocked in retort. It took only a flex of her fingers to snap the end of his staff and then she wrapped her lengthened digits around Komadori, two of which stopped shy of tightening around his neck.

"Komadori!"

"No moves Daichi," Niiro warned. "Or I pop your little boy's head like an overripe berry."

"Leave him out of this – your orders are for me," Daichi argued.

"And why should I? You know I don't like leaving witnesses alive."

"Cause you know I will kill you if do that. I know your weakness after all."

"An interesting point," Niiro mused. "If you surrender to me, then I promise I will leave this boy here and without injury."

"Don't do it sensei! Forget about me," Komadori immediately objected but was promptly silenced by the fingers wrapping over his mouth.

"Be quiet child, the grown-ups are talking," Niiro remarked over the continued muffled objections. "Now, do we have an agreement?"

"Do I have your word of honour?" Daichi asked without even a second of hesitation.

"You have my honour that I will leave and not set foot into this keep until my Lord orders me to do so again." By this point, Komadori was struggling just to try and sound his refusal to go along with this deal but every time he tried to free himself, she simply tightened her grip.

"Then I lay down my arms to you Niiro," Daichi said grimly with a heavy sigh.

"Could you do something about your apprentice? He's not going to go along with this quietly," Niiro remarked as Komadori remarked unusually still. It was perhaps just the shock of the situation rendering him unable to even muster the will to object with his muffled shouts. Daichi slowly nodded, walked over to his young protégé, and delivered a firm chop to the back of his neck, knocking him out cold. In an uncharacteristically careful manner, Niiro set the young boy and stepped aside so she could continue with their…arrangement.

"There's something I wish to do first…"

* * *

It took a few hours for Komadori to finally regain consciousness. He awoke to find the room completely empty and the keep relatively silent. It took a few moments for him to recollect the events leading up to his sudden blackout and once he did Komadori was just about to jump out the balcony door when it dawned upon him that he was far too late. Once again, Komadori was left absolutely powerless while the people he cared about were taken away from him.

"Sensei…" he muttered under his breath as he looked to the open balcony door. The sun was just starting to creep over the horizon…a new day was beginning. With some light in the bedchambers, he finally noticed the small piece of folded paper on the ground beside him alongside a part of metal armlets much like his sensei's, only slightly smaller. Quickly, Komadori grabbed the note and hoped for some message of hope to have been left behind.

_"My young protégé - By the time you read this, I will already be dead. I know you objected but this was the only way for you to live on. You must live on. The day I found you, one of the Shinto priestess told me that there was an air of fate about you and that you were destined for great things one day. For reasons I still cannot fathom myself, I believed her and every day of your training led me to believe it even more. You will accomplish great things Komadori but you cannot if you die here today, nor if you stay at Nagashima. Do not pursue Fujin Niiro – you cannot defeat her with vengeance in your heart. You have become a fine warrior and my only regret is that I will not be able to be there to see what you accomplish and guide you as you continue your training. All I can leave you with is this pair of armlets I had been saving to present you when your training with me was complete. Remember – there is more at stake here than personal vendettas…and one man can shape the fate of a land."_

Komadori let out a quiet sigh of mourning as he folded the letter back up and tucked it into his sash. His eyes gazed over to the armlets mentioned in the letter – much like his sensei's they were composed of lightweight steel painted black with spines along the length of it. As Komadori picked them up, he realized that it was time for him to leave Nagashima. As much as he hated to leave his home and people, especially after the loss of their leader, but he had to heed the last wishes of his sensei. While he did not quite understand what his sensei saw in him, he knew there was a lot more wisdom in his sensei's cryptic words than he could ever comprehend in his youth.

Retreating to his bedchambers several floors below, Komadori fetched his keikogi and other equipment to ready for travel. Its dark red cloths had always been his favourite. Quickly changing into the red keikogi, dawning his tabi boots, and fitting on all his protective armour plates, all coloured black, he fitted on the metal armlets his sensei left behind. They fit perfectly and comfortably…so light that he barely even felt their weight and so conforming that they didn't even shift as he moved his arm about. After he tied down his sash, which house a number of pouches for his tools, he headed over to his weapons rack and filled them up with various bombs, tools, and weapons. Over his shoulder he slung his ninjato, which had several throwing knives fitted along the front of its strap. Lastly, he dawn his black scarf around his neck and pulled the small extension of cloth that served as his mask, covering the lower half of his face snugly.

"I will find some way to avenge you sensei," Komadori commented quietly to himself, stepping out onto the balcony to face the rising sun. "I will stop Slade…and I will find a way to kill Fujin Niiro…somehow." With one last look to the keep that he had called home for the past several years, Komadori leapt forth from the balcony to find this 'destiny' everybody seemed to be speaking about.

He just hoped that there would be a Nagashima to return to.

* * *

**History Behind the Story:**

The battle of Nagashino actually occurred well after the sieges of Nagashima, which happened in 1571, '73, and '74. The precise, historical location of Nagashima is unknown to this day and it is presumed that the site has since been constructed upon by modern structures. Nagashima consisted of several castles, fortresses, and a reinforced monastery known as Gansho-ji, which has since been rebuilt at a new location.


	3. The Princess and the Bird

**Chapter Three: The Princess and the Bird**

**Keikoku Army Base Camp**

They had beaten the drums of war for more than two years. They have marched across the landscape of Japan tirelessly and without question. Army after army fell before their might and many that surrendered immediately were absorbed into it, bolstering their already immense numbers. Day by day, the name and fear of Lord Keikoku spread further across Japan until every corner of the land knew of his name and the danger he represented. What started as an army of less than three thousand foot soldiers has grown to more than twenty thousand infantry, seven thousand cavalry, and several of the most fearsome names on the battlefield.

Commanding an army of almost thirty thousand had proven to be no more challenging than commanding the army he had started with. The key was simply maintaining an effective line of communications and with several very competent retainers and daimyo under his command most of his army was capable of commanding itself. Lord Ketsueki and his personal army, along with a detachment of Keikoku's soldiers, were marching northeast to contend with the threat in the Echigo Province. At the same time, Ru-Batten, a retainer to Keikoku, was leading another large portion of their army northwest to the Tamba Province. As for Lord Keikoku, and the seventy-five hundred troops that accompanied him, his eyes were set on the last remaining threat within his own home province of Owari – the Nagashima fortresses.

Camped out across a vast field, hundreds of tents and shelters had been set up for the night. The long march of the army had to come to a rest before exhaustion would be able to set in. Nagashima was no more than a few days march from their current location and if they were to lay siege to a fortress of such magnitude, the armies had to be well rested. There would be little chance to rest in the coming weeks if the siege went underway and the men were anxious to start the battle. The memories of the two failed sieges of Nagashima weighed heavily upon everyone's minds and those in command yearned for a chance at redemption. This third siege, though, was certain to be the last; Lord Keikoku had taken the lessons of his previous success and failures on the battlefield and devised a new tactic for taking the fort. Riding the victory over the Andero clan at Nagashino, morale was high amongst all the troops, especially the arquebusiers who were eager to test their new-founded skills against the arquebusiers of Nagashima.

Upon a small elevation at the end of the field, a series of much larger tents had been erected for the commander and generals of the army. The largest one in the center, surrounded upon all sides by a dozen armed guards, was the temporary residence of Lord Keikoku himself. Beneath its elaborate white canvas and beyond the simple, wooden furniture, the renowned daimyo stood alone…provided light by only a single, small candle that flickered behind him. Adorned in eloquent orange and black robes, he looked down to the steel mask that was holding in his hands. The single eyepiece was only just visible in the low light and the smooth, polished black and bronzed metal of the concave surface was illuminated by the reflection of light within. Slowly, he fitted the mask over his face and tightened down the leather straps until the mask was a tight fit. Next, Keikoku grabbed his helmet and fitted it over so that the leather straps and the rest of his head became encased within a metal cage. The eerie silence within the helmet provided a tranquil environment for him and his thoughts always seemed to come out clearer as a result. He wished he could've sat and enjoyed it longer but the whole reason he dawned his helmet was because he had a 'guest' waiting for him just outside the tent's entrance.

"You can come in now," Keikoku spoke up. His helmet provided a sort of resonance chamber for his voice, adding to his ability to intimidate. Through the opening at the front, two individuals entered the tent quietly. In the lead was Sutaakaki, stripped off her armour and weaponry and left only in her kimono, followed close behind by the red-armoured samurai, Oni-kun.

"This is the only survivor of the Andero's first wave Lord Keikoku," Oni-kun introduced as he pushed the bound woman forward. Sutaakaki was less than amused by her treatment and gave an indignant grunt in response. Her captors at least had the courtesy to bandage the wound along her forehead the lead shot had left behind.

Lord Keikoku took a long, silent look at the girl, tucking his hands behind his back and leaning in slightly so that he was at eye level with her. Sutaakaki held a brave face despite the fear she was experiencing while staring into the eye of a madman. For a princess, going from a life of luxury to being held captive in a military camp was a drastic change for her. She was tired, she was hungry, and, most importantly, she just wanted to get out of there.

"This is not Kurokaki," Keikoku finally spoke up as he looked to the red samurai. "I was told you had Kurokaki in your possession."

"She's not? But…she was leading the Andero cavalry charge. Who else could it be?" Oni-kun quickly defended himself. "And she answered to the name of Lady Andero."

"That is because there are two of them you half-wit," Keikoku replied with a clear hint of annoyance in his voice. Turning back to the prisoner he addressed at last, "You are the second daughter of the Andero clan, correct?"

Sutaakaki nodded slowly.

"You may wait outside Oni-kun," Keikoku said as he motioned for him to leave. There was no objection from the samurai as he departed quickly. Sutaakaki was nervous to be left alone with the ruthless daimyo but she suspected that he needed her alive for the time being, or else she would already be dead. If the Andero clan were still alive and strong, Sutaakaki would be a suitable bargaining chip against them. She knew she couldn't allow herself to be used as a pawn in his game.

"Are you scared Lady Andero?"

"No," she lied. Terrified would be a closer description but she did not allow her emotions to get the better of her.

"Good. I wouldn't want my guest to be scared," Keikoku answered, seemingly pleased at her resilience. "Your name is Kori, correct?"

Once again Sutaakaki nodded slowly. "What is it that you want from me?"

"Straight to the point I see." Keikoku walked slow circles around the lady, neither taking their gaze off the other. "I'm sure by this point you've been told the aftermath of Nagashino. Your clan's once invincible armies have been reduced to ashes and your forces have retreated back to Kai with the belief that you are dead. There is nothing they can do to stop me now and the only hope for your clan to survive is to surrender to me."

"My brother and sister would rather die than bow down to you," Sutaakaki harshly answered. "And I vow that every one of my brethren that you have slain shall be avenged with the death of one of yours!"

Keikoku simply chuckled lightly at her threats, patting her mockingly on the head. "An empty threat. Maliciousness does not become you Lady Andero so do not attempt to be something that you are not."

It became apparent than Sutaakaki's attempts to remain defiant were only serving as a source of amusement to the daimyo. Perhaps he was right, though, she was not quite the warrior spirit that her sister was. She fell silent for a short moment, wondering what fate had in store for her.

"Don't be scared little princess, you do not have to die here. There's no reason to continue fighting me. If the Andero clans swears their loyalty to me, then I will make sure that they are given the power and territories that they deserve…including rule over your rivals in the Echigo province. Your brother is young and foolish and does not know why he resists me, only that your father decided in his infinite wisdom to do so."

"You will not speak ill of my father," Sutaakaki growled.

"Quite the contrary – I have great respect for your father and for the Andero clan, which is why I am giving you this option rather than having you obliterated. If the Andero clan submits then the other daimyo from the surrounding territories will think twice about resisting me. If you accept to serve under me and convince your fellow clansman to do the same, you could save thousands of lives from a needless blood bath."

Her answer came quick and without even so much as a moment of hesitation, "I will never submit to one as wicked and mad as you."

"You Andero have always been a defiant clan but my armies will march upon Kyoto soon…and there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it."

Sutaakaki only responded with an angered frown. She figured that now Keikoku could not count on her service, he would simply have her locked away until he needed to use her as a bargaining chip. The only comfort she could take was that her family would never be manipulated by using her life as leverage.

"Oni," Keikoku ended the conversation by summoning the samurai back into the tent. The red samurai returned promptly into the tent, wondering what the daimyo's next orders were. "This girl will not be of any use to me right now. For the time being, you will be responsible for ensuring that no harm comes to her. "

"Very well Lord Keikoku," Oni-kun agreed. Though the prospect of having to watch over an important prisoner was not something a warrior like himself enjoyed, he would do out of respect for the daimyo. His own lord, Chinou, would likely order him to follow Keikoku's request anyways. Oni-kun motioned for Sutaakaki to follow as he led her out of the tent. The moment he stepped out from under the canvas, though, the samurai noticed something terribly wrong – the two guards flanking the entrance lay upon the ground dead.

"What the-" Those were the only words he managed to get out when a figured suddenly swung down from the canopy directly above him and slammed both feet square into his chest. Sutaakaki, just a few feet behind Oni-kun, was quick enough to step out of the way as the samurai came tumbling into the tent.

"It appears somebody is awfully bold," Keikoku remarked calmly as he looked down to the fallen samurai at his feet. "I suggest you stand and fight Oni-kun."

Sutaakaki looked to the entranceway of the tent to see who had launched such a daring attack in the middle of an entire camp. She did not recognize the figure of Komadori who stood boldly before the trio with his ninjato in hand, already stained with the blood of a few guards. Keikoku, however, did recognize the young lad. It came as no surprise considering the news he had received from Fujin Niiro; it was only a matter of time before the apprentice came seeking revenge.

"Who are you?" Sutaakaki asked softly, doubting but still hoping he had been sent to find her.

"My name is Komadori - now I suggest you step aside," he answered. Judging by the ropes around her wrists, Komadori figured her to be a captive. His mission wasn't to rescue anybody though and he did not care what happened to her.

"Cut me free and I can help you," she hastily offered.

"And what could you do?" Komadori dismissed as he pushed past her and stood firmly before Oni-kun and Keikoku.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't the little bird. All grown up and left the nest I take it?" Keikoku addressed the assailant calmly and with both hands tucked behind his back. It was remarkable that even in the face of such a threat the daimyo acted as though he had been expecting this all along. "I had a feeling you would come back one day…I saw much passion burning within your soul. It reminded me of myself. I assume you're here for my head?"

"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done!"

"I would expect no less from you. I suggest you stand and fight Oni-kun."

The red samurai quickly rose to his feet and drew his katana in preparation for the attack. "You shall not lay a hand upon Lord Keikoku," Oni-kun warned maliciously.

"Just try and stop me."

Oni-kun simply grinned as the prospect, his yellow eyes blazing with anticipation. He motioned for Komadori to make the first move, which the young ninja did gladly. Deftly grabbing a few throwing knives from his bandoleer and hurled them at the samurai to cover his advance. The devil samurai was quick to react, though, as he leaned back and watched the daggers fly past him and recover to prepare for Komadori's main attack. The ninja had leapt into the air and the two swords clashed high. With a burst of strength, the samurai pushed the ninja back and sent Komadori flipping back through the air.

Komadori managed to land on his feet though but was Oni-kun moved quickly to the offensive with a strong downward slash. The brute force of the samurai's swings knocked Komadori back when he blocked it. After the ninja narrowly parried a thrust, Oni-kun did a quick, horizontal chop with his blade to push his opponent further back. The quick, powerful strikes were more than Komadori had anticipated and he wasn't able to keep his defenses up after the trio of strikes. It made it easy for Oni-kun to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick straight into Komadori's gut, sending him tumbling back to Sutaakaki.

"Please allow me to assist you ninja," Sutaakaki pleaded.

"How could you possibly help?" Komadori once again refused the captive's help. The princess growled bitterly and pondered the idea of sneaking out for a moment before noticing that Keikoku was watching her rather than the fight. Why didn't the daimyo do anything?

The two warriors faced off again, this time exchanging swings and thrusts in an eloquent dance of swords. Both fighters were impeccably agile in evading the other's swings; Komadori would duck under one slash and then rise with a thrust of his, only to be parried again by the samurai. This pattern repeated several times over with only minor variations in the patterns. Komadori would suddenly change his pattern on Oni-kun, ducking extra low to avoid an attack and instead of striking back with his sword Komadori counter-attacked with a rising kick straight to the jaw.

The blow knocked the helmet straight off of Oni-kun and toppled him over in a heap. Unfortunately, the precision kick didn't seem to do anything more than to just anger the samurai, who was back on his feet in a matter of seconds. Without his helmet, it was then that Sutaakaki and Komadori realized that the samurai hadn't had horns on his helmet but, in fact, had actually horns protruding from his forehead.

"It's more than just because of the horns and skin that they call me the Red Devil," Oni-kun said proudly as he gripped his sword tightly in both hands. The samurai charged quickly and struck even faster with low slash. It forced Komadori to block low, allowing Oni-kun to knock the ninja over with a shoulder check. Though he tumbled over, Komadori was able to back-roll onto his feet but found himself backed against the edge of the tent.

Oni-kun threw all his might into the next swing, which Komadori just managed to push upwards with his own blade. The blade carried such momentum that it cut straight through one of the wooden support columns, causing a small section of the tent to slowly collapse. This gave Komadori an opportunity to break away from his opponent.

"I implore you ninja, free me and I will help you in your fight," Sutaakaki tried her luck again at convincing the ninja to help her out. Unfortunately, he didn't even dignify her with an answer this time around simply pressed his attack against Oni-kun. His previous stratagem of defeating his opponent through swordsmanship wasn't going to cut it against the trained swordsman so Komadori decided upon relying more heavily upon his other skills to win. A small pellet was thrown towards the samurai, which burst against his armour in a thick cloud of smoke. Sheathing his blade, Komadori leapt into the smoke and disappeared from the sight of both Sutaakaki and Keikoku.

There were sounds of heavy scuffling coming from the cloud of smoke and as it slowly began to disperse it revealed Komadori unleashing a fury of punches on the samurai. He had gotten in closer than the samurai could effectively defend against and could barely counter-attack against. Unfortunately, even after almost a dozen blows it didn't appear like Oni-kun was going to be collapsing soon. The few times he tried to use a more lethal attack using his armlets Oni-kun was able to lean back and avoid being sliced across the throat. Needing a more effective approach, Komadori grabbed the samurai by the throat and tried to squeeze the life out of him. This proved to be a terrible mistake, noted by how the samurai simply smirked at Komadori's attempt. It took a few moments but eventually the heat began to radiate through Komadori's gloves and he had to pull away before he burnt the flesh off his hand.

The ninja cursed harshly, "Gah, dammit!" The samurai's skin felt like trying to grab hot ash.

"What's the matter? Oni-kun chuckled before grabbing Komadori by the scarf. "You should be careful when you dance with the devil!" With that said, the samurai drove his horned head into Komadori's forehead, toppling the ninja to the ground in a heartbeat.

Dazed, the young ninja felt the warm trickle of blood along his hairline while he gazed up to his opponent. The Red Devil stood triumphantly over his opponent with his sword raised in preparation for the finishing strike. However, just as the samurai was about to deal the final blow, Sutaakaki grew tired of standing on the sidelines and charged in. Even with her hands bound behind her back, Sutaakaki jumped over the fallen ninja and dropkicked her captor to send him hurtling across the room. The sudden strike succeeded in knocking the blade out of his hand, sending it tumbling into the air above Sutaakaki, and with superb coordination the princess turned about allowing the falling blade to cut through the ropes straight between her wrists.

"Think you can stop me without harming me?" Sutaakaki remarked, reminding Oni-kun of his previous orders to ensure she remained unharmed. Now she knew he wouldn't be that stupid but it was crucial to keep the princess alive. This should give her the advantage…that and now being armed with Oni-kun's sword.

"Your life is a bonus to us, not a requirement," Oni-kun answered before his eyes began to glow more brightly. Suddenly, a narrow stream of flames shot forth from his lips. Not exactly expecting such an attack, the princess frantically dove out of the way. Unfortunately, the sagging canvas, due to the broken support pillar, was licked by the flames and slowly began to burn.

"Uh-oh."

"Ah crap."

"You idiot."

"We must leave quickly!" Sutaakaki shouted as she pulled her 'rescuer' to his feet and dragged him out of the burning tent. If the fighting inside the tent hadn't alerted the army below to their presence, the growing fire would be a beacon for attention. Glancing about, the forest to the north would be their best bet for an escape and the unattended horses nearby would make their escape easier.

Komadori, however, was none too interested in leaving without having finished his mission. "I'm not leaving, not until I've killed Keikoku!"

The gunfire that began to ring out reminded the young ninja that he now had over seven thousand soldiers standing between him and his target and the exploding tree branches from the lead shots quickly changed his mind. The two young warriors quickly sprinted for the horses with the whiz of shots and crack of shattering wood ushering them along.

"This is all your fault, I had him right where I wanted him!" Komadori shouted as the pair quickly mounted the first two horses they could find.

"If you had listened to me from the start I could've helped you defeat that man easily!" Sutaakaki angrily replied. Despite her frustrations, she figured her best chance of survival would be to stay with this strange and somewhat headstrong ninja. With the advancing hordes of enemy soldiers, Komadori wasn't going to complain right now if she wanted to tag along. With a quick whip of the reins, the two horses took off into the woods as fast as the horses could carry them.

"Right, cause the last thing I need to do is baby-sit some helpless little girl!"

"Little girl? I do not see what was so 'little' when I saved your butt."

"I didn't need your help for starters."

"My apologies. I must have gotten confused when the samurai smashed your head with his own."

"I wound up saving you, you should be a little more grateful."

"I'll consider my gratitude after we are safe from Keikoku's forces."

"Which wouldn't be after us if you hadn't pissed off that samurai and made him use his fire breath!"

"How was I supposed to know he could that?"

Both growled bitterly under their breaths before remembering that they were going to be pursued by Keikoku's army.

Back at the camp, though, the commotion was already beginning to settle down. While a handful of soldiers attended to extinguishing the burning tent, Keikoku had already mounted his steed in preparation for pursuing the pair personally. He had tossed aside his robes and his armour was now presented in its full glory to his troops who were rallying to his side.

"You five," Keikoku spoke up, pointing a group of cavalrymen, "shall accompany me."

As the men lined up alongside their lord, an attendant hurried to Keikoku's side and held out the daimyo's weapon – a double-bladed staff. Taking the weapon into hand, the daimyo spun it quickly in his hand before motioning for his handpicked troops to follow.

"Come, if it is fear and suffering that this fool seeks then we shall give it to him in abundance."

* * *

**History Behind the Story:**

Kid Devil (Oni-kun) is the only character in the story that wasn't taken from the Teen Titans cartoon, instead coming from the Teen Titans comic universe. He takes the role of famous samurai, Ii Naomasa, who's bright red armour and prowess on the battlefield had earned him the nickname 'Red Devil'.


	4. Flight from Chaos

**Chapter Four: Flight from Chaos**

**Northwest of Keikoku Army Main Camp**

The forests will be host to vengeance tonight. The trees will be painted in the blood of his enemies and the canopy will echoed the cries of the damned. Death was coming to these woods and Lord Keikoku vowed upon the heavens themselves that he would have retribution for the humiliation that accursed ninja had dealt to him that night. For hours, Keikoku and his five accompanying cavalrymen had been tracking the fleeing ninja and the rescued Andero princess through the forests and foothills. The sun was beginning to creep over the horizon, which meant that the fleeing pair would no longer be able to use the cover of night to mask their trail. It did not matter how far or how long they ran, they could not flee forever and when they stopped they would find Keikoku and his men waiting for them.

The little bird had grown to become quite the dangerous hawk. It was due time to put this bird down.

The six horses advanced in two vanguard formations with Keikoku in the center of the rear line. Keikoku wagered that the young Komadori would use the path that keeps a safe distance from the villages loyal to Keikoku and use the non-loyal villages as cover. With this knowledge in mind, along the knowledge of the landscape, it was easy for him to figure out the route most likely to be chosen. If the two abandoned their horses and tried to take refuge in the mountains, it would be easy for Keikoku to surround with his forces and capture the pair. Their only hope was to escape the Owari province and find refuge in the one of the neighboring province that wasn't under Keikoku's control. Komadori and Sutaakaki hoped that Keikoku wasn't after them bad enough to invade any province they entered.

The one thing that Keikoku hadn't counted, however, was Komadori's resolve to see Keikoku dead or dying. Isolated and on the run, all reasoning pointed to the pair fleeing to a safe hiding place. The last thing anyone would expect is the retreating enemy to turn about and attack a pursuer of unknown strength. That, however, was exactly what Komadori and Sutaakaki did. The young lady was not willing at first to attempt such a risky tactic but when the ninja began to make preparations for the counter-attack, Sutaakaki had no choice but to help or continue on alone. She realized Komadori's chances for success would be better if she helped and her chances of survival depended on that success.

Outnumbered three-to-one, an ambush would be their only chance of success of escaping the pursuers. If they struck fast enough, they might be able to lessen those odds to two-to-one and if the heavens truly favored them, they could possibly even the odds before the enemy even knew what happened. All Komadori needed was the right setup.

The thickening forest proved most advantageous to the pair as the dense flora forced their pursuers to slow down and provided an ideal ambush point. The last thing they needed was for the pair to come to a halt.

"My Lord, over there!" One of the cavaliers shouted as he directed the group's attention to a peculiar sight in the distance. Though masked by the dense foliage, there was no mistaking the pair of horses they saw. What was unusual, though, was that the horses appeared to have been abandoned with no sign of their riders.

"Now why would a bird clip his own wings?" Keikoku pondered as the six riders came to a halt around the abandoned horses.

Two of the guards dismounted from their steeds to take a closer look at the pair of horses, discovering that they had been tied to the nearby tree. It struck the daimyo as peculiar that two people on the run would take the time and effort to properly tie up their horses in a spot that would inevitably be found by the pursuers. One possibility did come to mind but would the young ninja really be that daring? Keikoku took a quick look over the troops accompanying him – they were confident but complacent. The recent victories had given his army a bit of an ego and six people did not make an army. A trained opponent would be able to take advantage of such an army.

"One of you return to camp immediately. Alert Lord Chinou and tell him to send a detachment of troops to join us in the search," he ordered, directing it to one of the nearby soldiers who was still on horseback. The addressed soldier simply nodded and hurried off in the direction of the main camp, leaving the other four soldiers puzzled as to their master's orders.

"My Lord, why do you call for reinforcements now?"

Despite all his expertise in warfare, Keikoku fell to one of his most critical flaws – hubris. "Because we've already walked into an ambush…"

From their Lord's words, the soldiers immediately went on guard but as one of the mounted warriors took a look to their surroundings, he came face-to-face with Sutaakaki, who hung from a tree branch by her legs. With one swing of her sword at head level, the soldier was struck down before he could even gasp in surprise. With attention drawn to her, the warrior princess flipped down from the tree branch to land upon the back of the unoccupied horse. Her next target was the second horseback soldier, which she easily struck down by leaping from the horse she stood upon and cutting him down in mid-flight.

Though the two remaining guards were concerned about the threat Sutaakaki now posed, Lord Keikoku was actually more concerned about the unseen threat of the young ninja, whom he did not doubt was looming nearby. The daimyo looked from the princess to his two remaining guards, only to find that they were already dead: one with a throwing knife through his chest and the other still with Komadori's sword protruding through his chest. The body collapsed to reveal the ninja still standing behind him, his brow furrowed in anger.

"Well, it would appear that the wolf has now become the prey," Keikoku remarked as he held his position without even so much as a flinch in response. "Care to dance with the wolf, little bird?"

"You are going to pay for all the lives you've taken!"

"You play the righteous hero so well child…but you have a naïve understanding of the world. You have no idea what I'm doing."

"You are plunging this world into chaos," Sutaakaki snapped back.

"Oh really?" Keikoku replied slyly. "You flatter me. I wish I could take credit for this wonderful situation but even my pride has its limits. If you really believe that, then kill me and see what happens."

"Then prepare to die!" Komadori shouted as he hurled a throwing dagger at the daimyo. The warlord simply swung his double-bladed staff and batted the projectile aside with little effort.

"I hope that was not your best effort," he taunted before the ninja leapt forth. Keikoku kept his distance simply by jumping back and off his horse. This move put him closer to Sutaakaki though, so she charged the daimyo from behind. An attack from behind proved fruitless though as he appeared to be completely aware of her intents, blocking her strike without even turning to face her. He knocked her blade aside as he spun to face her and then knocked both legs out from under her with one low swing from his staff. He didn't forget about Komadori, though, and turned about once more to slam the blunt side of his blade right into the charging ninja's chest. In only a few seconds, the daimyo had already toppled over both warriors and it didn't even look like he was making an effort.

"And to think, I was actually worried for a second," Keikoku taunted once more as he casually stepped back a few feet to ready for the second attack.

"Perhaps a strategy is required," Sutaakaki suggested with a groan as she got back to her feet.

"He's just one man!"

"But so are…you," Sutaakaki said as she tried to stop the overzealous ninja. By the time she had finished her sentence, though, Komadori was already face-first in the dirt once again thanks to Keikoku. Of course, now Sutaakaki had to go and save her comrade and rushed in to divert the daimyo's attention. As usual, though, Keikoku was more than ready for her interference. The expert movements of the veteran warrior parried her blade's strikes. Keikoku played with her blade as if it were completely under his control. Her advantage of speed and agility were off-set by the fact that the few strikes that got passed Keikoku's weapon, which she suspected he allowed, clashed harmlessly off his black body armour.

"You are going to have to try harder than that," the daimyo taunted once more as he sidestepped her downward strike. With a quick, simple swipe, his blade sliced through several inches of flesh across Sutaakaki's bicep. The sharp pain and severed muscles forced her to drop her sword while her free hand clenched tightly over the bloody wound. Sutaakaki panted heavily as she stared at her opponent and into the face of oblivion.

"Feel free to scream whenever you want," Keikoku remarked as he held his staff casually by his side. Toying with her even further, he delivered a powerful kick from the hip straight into her wounded bicep. She cried in pain and collapsed to her knees, unable to move through the burning pain radiating through her body. As she cringed in agony, Keikoku walked to her side and gave her a light kick to her arm again.

"Had enough already? Now where's that warrior's fire that your family is famous for?" he mused as he watched her writhing, doubled-over, on her knees. Giving no answer to him, Sutaakaki was given a swift punt to the face, knocking her almost completely upright.

Keikoku quickly brought his weapon around her, pulling back such that the shaft pressed tightly against her neck. The princess struggled and gasped for even a bit of air as Keikoku pulled up on the staff to lift the girl off the ground. If it weren't for the fact that a certain ninja would likely try to take advantage of the predisposed daimyo, he wouldn't wrung the life out of the girl. Instead, turning to the side and with a quick release, the girl was thrown to the ground – she wouldn't be getting back up for a little while.

"Such potential…wasted on foolish ideals," Keikoku muttered to himself as he focused his attention back to Komadori. The ninja, still high on his yearning for vengeance, charged the daimyo without hesitation. He threw a trio of daggers to distract his opponent while he somersaulted overhead. Once Komadori landed, he thrust his sword backhand in attempt to impale the daimyo. He only heard metal grinding against more metal though with the warlord holding his weapon behind his back once more. Komadori's blade was wedged between the staff's blade and Keikoku's armoured body, keeping it locked in place.

"Tell me ninja, why do you resist me?"

"Because you slaughter innocent people all in the name of your insane ambition," Komadori replied as he kept his sword in place, making sure Keikoku kept his weapon still as well.

"Innocent?" Keikoku remarked rhetorically. "Who's to say who's innocent and who isn't?"

"You burned down a temple with monks and priests still inside."

"Armed monks and priests and they attacked me first. Apparently they share the same misguided sentiment that you and your people do."

"Funny how so many people seem intent on resisting you. Maybe there's some truth to it."

"A million people saying a foolish thing still makes it a foolish thing."

"How foolish can it be to want to stop a madman like you?"

"Because this land _needs_ me. You might be too young to recall but this chaos you think I'm causing came long before I did. It made me who I am and it is the flames of war that will purge this land and allow it to grow anew. You, who resist, only make it worse."

"I'm sure that's what every conqueror thinks," Komadori snapped back as he managed to twist his blade ninety degrees, loosening it enough for him to slide it out with the high-pitched scraping of metal on metal.

Keikoku quickly moved to press the attack, turning about with a wide swing of his blade. Komadori was at a major disadvantage due to Keikoku's superior range; he was forced back from Keikoku by his repeated attacks and though Komadori had dodged each attack, it was impossible for him to retaliate. Komadori managed to deflect a thrust downward, impaling the blade into the earth between his legs and for a brief moment he thought he had an opening to counter-attack. Keikoku, as always, was one step-ahead of the fight and swiftly brought his staff upwards, striking Komadori's inner thigh with the shaft and flipping the young ninja off his feet. Had he been a few inches further down the shaft, Komadori probably would've lost most of his leg by that attack, though his sense of fortune was lost in the fact that he was still staring down his opponent's blade.

"Die with regret little bird," Keikoku remarked grimly as he lifted the blade up.

A short distance away, Sutaakaki was just regaining her senses after nearly having the life squeezed out of her. Her breathing was still labored but she still had some fight left in. With her fighting arm hanging limp by her side, streaked with blood, she knew she'd be next to useless if she picked her sword back up. Looking to her downed comrade and Keikoku standing overtop of him, Sutaakaki felt a burning rage rise through her. Memories of Nagashino immediately rushed through her mind, focusing her fury on the enemy that stood in the distance. A subtle green aura began to surround her clenched fist – a glow identical to the one that engulfed her eyes.

As she realized what was happening, Sutaakaki focused all her violent thoughts into the welling energy in her fist. The aura grew larger and more vibrant with each passing moment until the green glow caught the attention of the daimyo.

"Looks like she's got some heat after all…" Keikoku muttered surprisingly stoically despite Sutaakaki hurling the bolt of energy she had just created. It wasn't very powerful and the bright flash of its explosion looked far more impressive than the attack actually was. However, the bolt slamming into the daimyo's chest sent him staggering back and disorientating him long enough for Komadori to take advantage of the situation. Once more the high-pitch grind of steel on steel echoed through the woods but this time it was the blade of the young ninja piercing through the armour plating of the daimyo.

"I hope you rot in hell," Komadori growled, pressing the hilt of his blade as hard as he could against Keikoku's back.

"Hell holds no surprises for me," the warlord muttered calmly before the withdrawn blade allowed him to collapse to his knees. "Go ahead…claim your vengeance and grant a quick death ninja," he said as he looked up to Komadori, keeping one hand over the bleeding wound in his abdomen.

Taking a slight sense of satisfaction in his victory, Komadori was still unable to remove the angered frown across his face. "After all the suffering you have caused, why should I let you escape from life so easily?" With that, Komadori promptly sheathed his blade and walked away. A deep, penetrating wound to the abdomen was almost guaranteed to be a mortal injury. If the blood loss didn't claim Keikoku's life, then the resultant infections from his injuries would. The question was not about survival, only how long and how painful would his death be. That, in Komadori's mind, was a far better end to the warlord than anything else he could imagine.

Keikoku's last words before he finally collapsed were, "And here I thought…that we had nothing in common…"

The young ninja did not even look back as he walked over to check on his companion, who had saved his life for the second time that day. Though wounded, she was still able to travel. "We should keep moving," Komadori recommended. Sutaakaki simply nodded in agreement and the pair hurried to their steeds to continue fleeing northwest.

* * *

"I guess that's two I owe you now," Komadori sighed lightly as he tightened the makeshift bandage around Sutaakaki's arm. Having spent the past few hours fleeing northward with no sign of pursuit, the two decided that it was due time for them to take a short rest and tend to their injuries. Though they were both very tired, only a short rest could be taken.

"Perhaps if you had taken my advice and not charged in like you had I would not have needed to save you _again_," she replied, wincing only slightly when the bandage was tightened. Once her injury was treated, Komadori took a seat next under a large tree to the right of his companion.

"You're right," Komadori spoke up after a short silence. It was tough for him to swallow his pride as he just had but looking back on his performance, she was right. "I got ahead of myself and I'm…thankful for your help."

"At least we have succeeded in our escape," Sutaakaki sighed with relief. "I…could not have done it without your help. Let us say that we are even." The tension between the two began to settle as they took some time to just enjoy their freedom. Komadori wasn't certain what his next move should be but he knew he should return home to Nagashima just in case Keikoku's army advanced on it even without their leader. Unfortunately, he was heading in the wrong direction for that to work and there was a massive army standing between him and home.

"So…what exactly was that you did back there? Was that some kind of sorcery?"

"Hm? Oh…the green fireball," she replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. "It's a concentration of emotions and body energies into a bolt of energy. All members of my family are taught the technique."

"Why didn't you do that earlier?"

The young girl's face flushed a bright red as her eyes shied away from him. "That…was actually the first time I have actually gotten it to work. My sister is far more impressive with hers."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes…and a brother. I do not know if they are still alive though," she answered grimly. She proceeded to explain the battle of Nagashino and the events leading up to her capture and her chance encounter with the young ninja. She knew that the Andero clan lost the battle but she didn't know if her family and friends made it out safely. "I need to find a way back to Kai. I need to know if my family is safe."

"All I've heard of Nagashino was that there wasn't much left of the Andero's army afterwards. Maybe…I could help you get back to Kai."

The suggestion brought a weak smile to the tired princess, "I would like that very much."

"It's a long way to Kai. There's a shrine not too far north of here; we can rest and gather some supplies there," Komadori replied, wanting to smile in return but the scarf he wore hid it. Somehow, though, he had a feeling that she could tell he was smiling.

"You never told me your name."

"Everyone just calls me Komadori. And you?"

"Sutaakaki."

"You think you could teach me that fireball trick?"

"I'm not allowed to teach anyone outside my family."

"Can't make an exception?"

"Not unless you marry me."

"Heh…I'll have to think about it then."

* * *

Several retainers had been waiting outside Keikoku's new tent back at the main camp for nearly half the evening. The top surgeon in the army had been alone with the daimyo ever since he was recovered from the woods. He was alive but the outlook was grim and while most of the retainers were concerned about Keikoku's health, they were more worried about what would happen if their lord were to suddenly disappear. A power vacuum or, even worse, a power struggle in the middle of a military campaign could postpone their operations for years.

Finally, the surgeon emerged from the tent, his hands still stained with their lord's blood. "I have managed to get the bleeding under control but considering the location of his injury, it will likely be infected within a few days," the surgeon reported. "I suggest you send runners to Ketsueki and Ru-Batten to inform them of these events."

"Did he leave any instructions for our forces?" Oni-kun, who stood at the head of the group, asked.

"Just that the army was to continue with the march tomorrow as planned," answered the surgeon before he turned to face three cloaked individuals in the group. "He also wished to speak with you three."

The three men simply, all of who wore long, ornate robes, nodded before they headed into the tent. The interior of tent was empty save for a bed, a small table, and a few candles for light and the daimyo lay in the bed with bloodied bandages scattered all around him. The three cloaked figures stood at the bed's side, waiting for their lord to address them. The man on the left was an aged individual with a thin white moustache and beard and wore a teal-coloured robe. In the center was a younger individual with a small black goatee and wore a black robe beneath his white cloak. The last man was slightly older than the previous but his face was clean-shaven beneath the hood of his white cloak.

"Chang…Jumon…Kei," Keikoku finally spoke up weakly. "Your intellect and skills have served me well ever since I first raised an army. Now I ask you…find the Andero child and that ninja and kill them both."

"We will carry out your orders until our dying breath," the center man, Kei, acknowledge with a deep bow.

"Good…now leave me. I would prefer to be alone when death seeks my company."

"As you wish my lord," Kei answered as all three men bowed once more before departing on their mission.

The tent fell silent once more, leaving Keikoku alone with his thoughts. He watched his shadows against the wall dance with the flickering of the candles' flames. "Is this how my legacy is to end? Not on the field of battle but huddled in a tent…too weak to even end his own life. Who did I wrong in a past life to end up with this fate?"

"Fate, great daimyo, is in your control more than you realize," a deep, commanding, but unfamiliar, voice spoke up. A robe-like shadow rose up along the wall but when Keikoku turned to see who cast it, he discovered that he was still alone in the tent.

"And who are you to speak to me as such? Show yourself," Keikoku demanded. "Has the cold embrace of death come for me so soon?"

"A formal introduction will have to wait but I have been watching your rise to power and have seen your potential." Though Keikoku could not be certain if it was merely his deteriorating condition but it seemed as though the voice emanated from the shadow upon the wall. "And I have come to deliver you away from death's grip."

"Pardon me if I do not jump in joy but I'm sure you'd understand the skepticism of a dying man when faced with a talking spot on the wall."

The mysterious voice simply chuckled before the shadow began to glow ever so slightly, just enough to show that there was more at work than just a trick on the eyes. "Your antics have always amused me. Death shall not be yours today for where your flesh has failed you, daimyo, I shall make anew. In return, there is something of mine that has been lost in your world and you will find it for me."

"Your bargaining position is highly dubious…but the choice between a disgraceful death and a second chance to fulfill my ambitions is not much of a choice."

"Then arise great warrior…and ride forth in the name of ambition! Ride out to Nagashima where a new army awaits to conquer in your name."

Outside in the main camp, activity was minimal at best and morale was at an all-time low. Word of Lord Keikoku's mortal injury had spread quickly through the camp and all suspected that they would continue on with their campaign. Without Keikoku in command, Lord Chinou would likely assume command of the army for the time being…if not permanently. What spread faster, though, was the awe-inspired silence that struck the entire camp population when the soldiers saw their commander stride out of the tent as fit as the day he first rode into battle.

"Get ready to break camp!" Keikoku shouted to his subordinates. "We have a fortress to destroy and I do not intend to keep our enemies waiting on us."

* * *

**History Behind the Story:**

While Oda Nobunaga has been regarded as one of the most brutal figures in the Sengoku Period of Japan, his policies regarding economics helped shift Japan from an agricultural-based economy to one of service and industry. Oda expanded Japan's foreign trade and helped to lay the foundation that would create a flourishing economy in the Edo period.


	5. The Miko and the Dragon

**Chapter Five: The Miko and the Dragon**

**Uncertain Location North of Owari**

"How much further is it to this shrine you spoke of?" Sutaakaki asked curiously before letting out a tired yawn. Though there still had been no sign of pursuit, neither had been willing to risk taking a rest for more than a couple hours.

Komadori knew that the shrine wasn't more than a few kilometers, judging by the subtle markers that the caretakers left scattered throughout the forests. Though he knew one of the caretakers, he was concerned that the spreading war might make them reluctant to get involved in any way. Since Keikoku's armies had little regard towards shrines and temples if they housed or helped his enemies, even priests and monks lived in fear.

"It should be just beyond those trees in the distance," Komadori answered.

"This shrine is certainly in a most remote of locations."

"It used to reside along a high-traffic road that connected two nearby cities. However, a larger road was built further down the mountain a few years ago so almost nobody comes by this shrine anymore."

"And you are certain this shrine will offer us sanctuary?"

"I know one of the miko, I've never been turned away before."

Sutaakaki felt a slight sense of relief, not to mention she looked forward to the opportunity to get a night's rest for the first time in several days. As she looked skyward, the sunlight flickered through the gaps in the forest canopy and for a second she thought she saw someone up in the branches. For a brief instant, she thought her eyes had merely played a trick on her…and then it hit her, or, more accurately, a rock hit her. Small and rounded, it was felt strangely reminiscent to when she got shot in the head at Nagashino. The powerful, precise projectile pelted the poor princess painful upon the parietal. Left dazed by the blow, she slowly started tilting to one side before she face-planted into the dirt path.

"Sutaakaki!" Komadori shouted. The shift in focus was met with a sharp kick to the back, toppling the ninja off his high horse as well. "What…just happened?"

"I do not know," his friend replied as she rubbed the new bump on her head.

"Where'd he go?" There was no sign of the assailant on the other side of the horse but when both looked up, they found that their attacker was merely standing atop of the steed. "Who the-"

Komadori didn't even have time to finish the question when the assailant descended upon him. He didn't even get a good look; only a green and purple blur before he went tumbling through the sky and crashed into Sutaakaki.

"Enough of this nonsense," he growled before reaching for his sword. However, instead of feeling the blade's coarse sharkskin grip, he felt only the back of his neck. Snapping back to their attacker, sure enough there was the blade being held so smugly.

The assailant was unlike anything either the princess or ninja had ever seen before. He had an olive hue skin and short, combed hair that was as green as the forest canopy. The stranger stood with an unsettling confidence while the wind rustled through his dark purple robes. Those robes…Sutaakaki had seen many different sorts of robes in her days but the stranger's clothes were nothing that she had ever seen in Japan.

"Who are you and why are you attacking us?"

The stranger remained silent. Grabbing the stolen sword's sheath, he flung it off the blade with such speed that Komadori only narrowly managed to avoid it. Sutaakaki was not so lucky and the metal end piece nailed her square in the forehead.

Komadori couldn't worry about his stunned comrade as the assailant charged, swinging in a dazzling display of swordsmanship. The blade clashed time and time again against the ninja's armlets, though the ninja couldn't find even a slight opening to retaliate. The stranger's blade danced like leaves in the wind: swift, flowing from one motion to the next, and changing directions without ever losing its grace and precision. Komadori had never seen such a fighting style before. It was deadly not only in its speed and precision but the sheer unpredictability of its motions; it didn't matter if the green warrior was backwards, crouched, or even upside-down in the air, he would still find a venue of attack.

"I don't know who you are," Komadori said as he tried to reason with his attacker, "but we are not your enemy." The stranger didn't seem to pay any heed to of the ninja's words and merely let a kick to the chest be his answer. As Komadori staggered back, the green warrior threw the sword at him. Once again, the ninja just narrowly twisted out of the trajectory. Sutaakaki was just recovering from the previous blow when the blade embedded into the tree trunk just inches from her face.

With renewed determination, Komadori growled, "Time to put an end to this."

Komadori rushed the green fighter, intent on pushing the offensive now. He threw everything he had into a powerful hip kick. Just seconds before Komadori made contact, the green fighter nimbly sidestepped the attack, wrapped his arm around the ninja's leg, and pinned it against his back. Using his opponent to maintain his balance, Komadori lashed out again, using his armlets this time. The assailant blocked using his forearm, not even wincing as one of the spines plunged into his flesh. Before he could attack again, the green fighter grabbed Komadori's wrist and held it tightly; Komadori was left hanging purely at the discretion of his opponent.

"Yajuu-kun! That's enough!" A familiar voice shouted. Both fighters immediately stopped and looked down the path to see a young girl with a disapproving expression. "That's my friend. Let him go."

The sudden release took Komadori by surprise and he promptly fell to the ground as a result. However, his concern was to the girl on the path. Wearing a white kimono top with wide sleeves and a purple hakama, she had the look of a miko but Komadori already knew who the purple-haired girl was.

"Friend?" The green asked while pointing to the ninja. Komadori noticed that it was definitely not a Japanese accent upon the boy.

"Yes."

Next the green boy pointed to the dazed Sutaakaki and asked, "Her?"

"She's with me," Komadori answered.

"Go back to the shrine Yajuu-kun," the miko instructed.

With a curt nod, the green warrior strolled towards and past the miko, hands tucked behind his back and a casual stride in his step; it was as though the whole incident had never transpired.

"I believe I have missed something important here," Sutaakaki muttered. "And who are you?"

"My name is Karasu and I'll explain more at the shrine," the miko answered. "Now hurry up before somebody sees you."

* * *

"Sorry about the mess; the clean-up is taking a long time," the miko apologized in advance as the trio arrived at the small shrine...or what was left of it.

Most of the stone monuments and statues have been knocked over, including the shrine's gateway. Of the several buildings that used to make up the shrine, only the main building had been left relatively intact. Its once pure white walls and red, wooden trim have been blackened in numerous locations by small fires; large portions of the roofing had been damaged and the two support columns flanking the buildings entrance had been left askew.

"Who would desecrate an Inari shrine?" Sutaakaki asked as she examined some of the damage. She felt nothing but sadness as she looked upon the ruins of the once proud shrine. What was worse was that she had heard about such destruction time and time again. It was as though the whole world went insane.

"A bunch of soldiers looking to get every bundle of rice and piece of meat they could scavenge for the war effort," the miko explained with a heavy undertone of sarcasm at the end. "I told them to get lost and things went downhill from there very quickly."

The trio went through the shrine doorways and into the small courtyard in the center of the whole complex. In one of the far corners, Komadori noticed the green youngster from before, sitting cross-legged in an apparent state of meditation.

"So…who's the girl? It's not like you to travel with such company," Karasu asked.

"My name is Sutaakaki," the princess introduced herself with a polite bow. "And…what did you mean by 'such company' anyways?"

"Nothing; it's just…I've never seen Komadori with anybody aside from other ninjas."

"Oh…so you are the friend that Komadori spoke of."

"Friend? Is that what he told you?" Karasu rhetorically replied with a slight frown. "I think moocher would be a more accurate description. He only ever comes here when he needs food or medicine."

Both girls gave a short glare to the ninja, who felt a sudden pang of embarrassment. So he might've only visited Karasu when he needed something from her, his life was hectic and he had little time to run social errands. At least, that's what his reasoning was.

"So who's the injured one?"

"That would be me," Sutaakaki answered. The miko let out a quiet sigh before motioning for the princess to follow. Left to his own devices, Komadori decided to go find a quiet spot where he could rest for a few hours.

"Normally we'd have medicine and fresh bandages for this but I'm afraid the soldiers took everything that wasn't too heavy to carry," Karasu explained as she led Sutaakaki to some steps along the edge of the courtyard.

"What has happened to the other people? Are there not normally more people who reside at these shrines?" Sutaakaki asked while taking a seat. A shrine of such size would've had several miko along with a Kannushi.

It took a while for the miko to answer but finally she said, "Most of the other miko left over the past few months as attendance declined. The last ones left along with everyone else after the soldiers trashed the place."

"Why did you not leave as well?"

"Could you not talk for a moment? I need to concentrate," Karasu answered, though it seemed as though she was simply avoiding the question. The princess went along with the request while Karasu undressed the injury and examined it closely. "And…I'm sorry about my friend's behavior earlier. After the soldiers came we've been a bit on edge and he must've figured that you and Komadori were more soldiers."

"I understand. Who is he anyways?"

"He's…uh, I'm not exactly sure," Karasu admitted. She was busy with a loose strip of parchment, though Sutaakaki knew not what it was about. "He showed up when the soldiers started wrecking the shrine and…rescued me from some of them. I don't know where he came from or even what his name is…I just call him Yajuu-kun cause he seems to respond to it. He's not much for conversations."

"The silent type?"

"Actually he's the foreign type. I don't think he speaks much more than a few words in Japanese. However, he seems to know what's right and what's wrong because the second he saw those soldiers he just went…ballistic on them."

"Might I ask why you call him Yajuu-kun?"

"See for yourself."

Looking back to the meditating youngster, Sutaakaki immediately noticed that a couple of small birds had perched upon the lad's shoulders. Neither the birds nor Yajuu-kun seemed to notice the presence of the other…it was as though he was just another part of the forest. Sutaakaki was thoroughly impressed.

Interrupting her train of thought, Karasu patted her firmly on the arm and said, "There, you're done."

Puzzled at first, Sutaakaki looked to where her wound should've been, only to find a smooth patch of skin surrounded by dried blood. Now she was even more confused. "Wait, how did you-?"

"I've treated your injuries," Karasu interrupted. "Now please find your friend and be on your way."

While it was obvious that Karasu was avoiding the question, Sutaakaki became more concerned with why she was now being told to leave. Before she could ask, Karasu had already started to leave with no sign of looking back. Still, Sutaakaki shouted to her, "Why are you telling us to leave?"

The miko stopped for a second to answer back, "The soldiers from before were just scoundrels. Keeping you here now makes this shrine and me their enemy. If they find you here, they will burn this place to the ground and I won't let you jeopardize my home."

"How did you know they were after us?"

"I know a lot of things. Now I want you and Komadori gone."

"I thought he was your friend!"

"A friend who's going to get me killed at this rate. Now I won't ask again. Leave before I get nature boy to throw you out."

Sutaakaki was silenced this time around. Apparently Karasu's devotion to her shrine's well being held priority over her supposed friends; not exactly a friendly miko. She watched the miko walk off before deciding that she wasn't going to give up just yet. If Sutaakaki couldn't convince Karasu to let them stay, then she would focus on the muscle she was threatened with.

"Excuse me, Yajuu-kun…"

* * *

Though the fire had gutted most of the valuables in the structure, there were still a number of scrolls and texts that miraculously managed to survive the ordeal…or at least partly survived. Every piece of parchment was important to Karasu. She sifted through the pieces of burnt timber and the shattered clay shingles from the caved-in roof, pulling out every half-scorched piece of paper that she could find. Most of what she found was beyond repair but she didn't want to give up hope; she couldn't give up hope. Everybody else had abandoned the shrine but Karasu refused to leave the only place she's ever considered home.

She had learned her sense of dedication and devotion from the people who raised her at the shrine; seeing them all leave felt like a betrayal to everything she had been taught. Karasu tried to convince herself that they only left so that they could continue their duties in a safer location but…she knew that was only partly true. They were scared and with good reason.

"I can probably re-scribe this," she muttered to herself after picking up a partially charred scroll. "The whole damn world is going insane."

From the doorway, she heard somebody entering the room. It was her green friend, Yajuu-kun, who immediately said in his fragmented Japanese, "World change. People change. Some say no change crazy."

"There's a fine line between an evolving world and everything turning upside down. Now why have you stopped meditating? You usually go for a few more hours." Though it was unusual to see Yajuu-kun up and about during his usual meditation hours, she usually wished he were. Now seemed to be the only time that she wished he were still meditating as she had a suspicion as to why he was confronting her.

"Why friends leave?"

"Because they're…uh," Karasu had to pause for a moment to figure out a proper way to phrase what she wanted to say. The wrong choice of words led to the obvious loss of communication. "They're a part of the war; I don't want to be a part of that war. Helping them would make me a part of it. They have to go."

"Why no war?"

"I'm a miko, not a warrior."

"You fight before."

"I was protecting the shrine."

"Why?"

"Cause it's my home!"

"And?"

"That's it!" Karasu snapped, clearly irritated by Yajuu-kun's persistence.

The green lad was silent for a moment but finally asked, "You afraid?"

Karasu didn't have an answer for her friend right away. She only let out a quiet sigh and brushed a hand through her dark hair as she reorganized her thoughts and feelings. "A month ago I didn't have a single worry in my head aside from getting yelled at by the other mikos. The fighting was only something we talked about over tea. A week ago death was just something I read about. Everyone I grew up with has left…this shrine is all I've got now. I won't lose it too."

For a moment, Karasu was worried that Yajuu-kun missed half of what she had said until he finally said, "A shrine is only a set of buildings; friends and family are what make a home and your friends are about to leave because of you. Help them, let them stay, and this can be the home you remember."

Unfortunately, everything he had just said was not in Japanese so his words went right over Karasu'a head, down her back, out the door, and up the mountain. He quickly realized the mistake and strained his brain to translate. "Buildings replace. Friends cannot. People give memories. Memories make home."

Karasu stewed on his words for a while. Eventually, she just let out a low growl and muttered, "Dammit." She then marched off to find her friend.

Outside the shrine, the two travelers were just about to mount up and head on their way when the miko emerged. Though the two saw the miko, only Sutaakaki was expecting something other from parting words.

"You can stay," Karasu said in a very straightforward manner.

"We can?"

"Are you deaf? Don't ask stupid questions Komadori, it belittles both of us."

"Sorry. Um…what made you change your mind?"

Karasu didn't answer immediately but when she glanced over to Sutaakaki, who tried to hold an innocent smile, Komadori had his answer.

"Now get inside before somebody sees you…and hide those horses. And you two better thank Yajuu-kun when you see him."

Both Komadori and Sutaakaki chuckled quietly after the miko returned to the shrine. "She is…a little pushy," Sutaakaki commented.

"And this is her on a good day."

* * *

**History Behind the Story:**

Mikos trace their history back to ancient times where they served as media for the words of the gods. Traditionally, the miko serves as an assistant to the priests, helping with various ceremonies or other duties of the shrine. One of their major roles is in the performance of ceremonial dances, which still exist to modern days.


	6. The Awakening

**Chapter Six: Awakening**

**Inari Shrine, somewhere North of Owari**

"How long have you known Karasu?" Sutaakaki asked between sips of her tea.

"Four or five years now. I used to pass through these mountains a lot during my training," Komadori answered before he, too, took a long swig from his cup. The weary travelers sat in one of the small rooms that still had an intact roof overhead, conversing and resting over some green tea that had been prepared by their not-so-gracious host. The sunlight had dispersed for the day, replaced by a tranquil darkness that blanketed the forest and hills. If one looked out to the hills it would be difficult to fathom that the land that extended beyond the horizon in all directions was beset by chaos and destruction. Only the glow of a few scattered lamps throughout the shrine gave any indication of life within its battered halls.

"And was she always this friendly?"

"She's usually a little more patient…but she's probably been under a lot of stress lately."

"Haven't we all?"

Both let out a quiet, tired sigh of agreement before downing the remainder of the tea in their cups. Both stared silently into their empty cups, focusing on the small bits of tea leaves that had stubbornly clung to the bottoms. The future hung in the air with uncertainty like a leaf in the wind and both so desperately wanted to know where it would fall. For Komadori, he had the personal satisfaction of knowing that somewhere out there Keikoku laid on his deathbed, hopefully suffering right to the bitter end. Though he knew that Keikoku's death would not put an end to the chaos that gripped the land, at least he knew that particular madman would never conquer it. Somebody would take control of his army, but his subordinates were nowhere near as tyrannical and ruthless as he. And while Nagashima might be safe for now, Keikoku's death would likely not relieve the siege at Ishiyama Hongan-ji. In the end, though, it gave Komadori something he had not felt in a while – hope.

Sutaakaki, too, felt some relief in the false belief of Keikoku's death. Though it would not bring back the fallen Andero soldiers, many of whom were her friends, it might spare her clan…if only for a little while longer. She yearned to return home to Kai and see her friends back at the castle. But for now, she could rest and relax…and pour herself another cup of tea.

"Would you care for some more?" she asked.

"Please," the young ninja replied.

"Do you…know much about Karasu?" Sutaakaki cautiously asked as the golden brown tea flowed into the ninja's cup.

"What do you mean?"

"Does she use…magic?"

"Magic? Oh…yeah, she does. She can use charms and things like that," Komadori explained before resuming his tea drinking. "First time I met her she thought I was stealing from the shrine and she almost set my hair on fire. From what I've heard she's quite talented but she doesn't really like to talk about it."

"Why is that?"

"That I don't know. Believe me, I've tried getting more out of her but she keeps threatening to put a hex on me when I do."

He let out a quiet chuckle as he recalled some past encounters on the subject. At first he thought it was just modesty but the more he got to know Karasu the more it seemed to stem from something different; something deeper.

"So, Sutaakaki…"

"Kori."

"Excuse me?"

"Kori. My real name is Kori. Sutaakaki is merely a pseudonym"

"Really? Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"I did not fully trust you back then," she answered honestly.

"Does that mean you trust me now?" Komadori asked hopefully.

"Most definitely," she answered with a smile. "Perhaps when we reach Kai, I will be able to introduce you to my sister and Fureasei. I believe that you would be well received by them both. They are far more passionate about their martial arts than I."

Komadori sensed a slight tone of self-disapproval in Kori's remarks. His curiosity was too much for him to ignore. "You sound as if you don't like what you are."

The young princess was silent for a brief moment, uncertain of how to properly express her feelings, but eventually spoke, "It is not that I am discontent with who I am, but oftentimes I am left wondering if I have chosen the proper path for me. My sister trained to be a warrior because she is drawn to it as though it were a lost part of her soul. Battle has been a part of her life since she was a child. Even when she was born it was during a siege of our castle and moments after her birth she and mother had to be carried to safety as the fighting had progressed onto that floor. Growing up she would play with swords and knives rather than toys. She had suits of armour made for her instead of dresses."

"Sounds like a tough girl."

"My brother trained to be a warrior because he was the heir to our clan's leadership. Father and Fureasei taught him personally. He wished to live up to the legacy of our father and he trained day and night in hopes of doing so. But me…I was trained by my sister because she wanted a sparring partner when all the others were away to do battle. There were days where I had so many bruises I could barely stand without aching."

"Then why'd you put up with it? There had to be someone else for her to practice with."

"There probably were," Kori said, shaking her head slowly, "but with brother and sister training so often I was regularly left alone. So I did what I could to spend my time with them…even if it was doing something I was not particularly interested in at the time. As time progressed I became more involved in my training and soon it was all that I was concerned with. But after Nagashino, I cannot help but wonder if I have chosen the right path for me; if this is for the best."

It took a while for Komadori to digest it all. The woman he had met just barely a day ago did strike him as the insecure type. But he figured even the more assured people can just be hiding behind a mask of confidence to hide their fear. Hiding from your own fears, Komadori has been taught, was one of the biggest things that could hold a warrior back. "My master once asked me, 'why do we fall down?'"

"I do not follow."

"Why do we fall down?" he simply repeated.

"Because...we lose our balance?"

"So we can learn to pick ourselves back up."

She was confused at first but after a moment of thought the pieces fell together and she realized what Komadori was implying with his analogy. She smiled brightly but before she could convey her gratitude her friend suddenly turned his attention to the nearby window. "Wait…did you hear something?"

* * *

Though the day was over and her guests had been given some tea, her work was still far from over. For Karasu, cleaning up the shrine was a job that normally required constant work, moreso now that the shrine was in complete disarray. It seemed like no matter how much she labored, there was always another path that needed to swept clean of debris, another room with its contents strewed across the floor, and another statue smashed into pieces. Occasionally, she wondered if she was doing any good at all or was she just clinging to a dying hope.

Hope, it felt like, was just prolonging the torment of uncertainty.

Outside, away from other people, Karasu felt a bit more at peace. She always did when she was alone, and if there was one small perk she could pull out of this entire ordeal, it was that she was hardly bothered as much as she used to be. She could hear the people inside chatting away as she passed close by while carrying loads of broken tiles and framework between the front and the dumpsite at the back. Every so often she even heard her name worm through the otherwise incoherent noise. No doubt, she figured, Komadori was telling his friend how she almost set his hair on fire when they first met.

All the other miko kept telling Karasu that she needed to be more patient and compassionate to people. Looking at the shrine now, though, she wondered where the compassion was for the shrine when the soldiers ransacked the building. Compassion, it seemed, was wasted on people these days.

While she might've told the others that the reason she went outside was to continue clearing the refuse off the shrine, it was also because she wanted…no, needed to keep an eye out for passing soldiers. Knowing that Komadori was still being pursued by Keikoku's soldiers was grating on her nerves and she knew she'd never be able to get to sleep with the possibility of more soldiers crashing down the front door looking for fugitives. They'd be even less forgiving to the shrine than the others before.

"I must be insane," she muttered to herself, still wondering why she let Yajuu-kin talk her into letting Komadori stay. However, she couldn't shake the thought that it was the most bizarre of coincidences that Komadori arrived at the shrine the day after she had the worst premonition in her life. Well, it was less of a premonition and more of a gut feeling – a strange, horrifying uneasiness that had suddenly swept over her the night before. It was a hard feeling to explain and she knew it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her. It was as though a great fear had penetrated into the deepest pits of her heart. She could still vividly remember how she sat in one of the shrines, curled up in the fetal position for an hour before Yajuu-kun stumbled across her and snapped her out of her terrified trance. She had felt similar sensations in years past when Keikoku's armies first spilt out across Japan; it was like the very earth itself was crying out to her. But what she had felt yesterday was far worse and it worried her greatly. What could possibly be coming that was worse than Keikoku?

Karasu let out a quiet sigh as she grabbed a nearby broom. She was letting her mind wander too much again when she was supposed to vigilant. She had let her guard slip so much that when she returned to the front of the shrine she was startled by the sight of a tall, slender man standing at the top of the front steps. He was an unusual man with a black goatee and a white cloak that went by the name of Kei.

"I'm sorry but we're not receiving anybody right now," Karasu said firmly. Though the man didn't have the look of a soldier she wasn't going to drop her guard around him.

"That's not a very warm reception for a caretaker of an Inari Shrine," the man replied calmly, as if testing the miko.

"If you haven't noticed, sir, there isn't much of a shrine to receive. We've got nothing we can provide so you're better off continuing on your way," she said more sternly now in hopes that the man would take the hint and leave.

"I just wish to pay my respects. If you'll give me five minutes I will be out of your hair," he continued, proving to be a very persistent individual. That, however, only raised Karasu's suspicions further.

"The shrine statues are gone, there's nothing to pay respect to. Please leave."

By this point, both parties were well aware of what the other was discretely trying to accomplish. Kei decided to forgo with the deceptions and just put all his cards on the table.

"We know they're here. Just step aside and we'll let you leave this place with your life," Kei threatened, parting his cloak as set his hands on his hips, revealing a pair of large, gem-studded gauntlets.

"You came all this way to threaten me? I'm touched but I'm not scared."

"I don't need you scared – just distracted."

Before Karasu could even ask what that was supposed to mean a fiery explosion from one of the buildings behind her drew her attention away from Kei. Clearly that was what he had meant. Unfortunately, that moment of distraction was a grave mistake for the moment she looked back to Kei, all she saw was one of his gauntlets coming right for her face and then darkness.

Meanwhile, inside the now burning shrine hut, the two fugitives were still recovering from the blast. "Are you okay Kori?" Komadori shouted through the smoke. Neither knew what had happened, only that they were enjoying their tea when an orange vial suddenly came in through one of the windows and exploded in a fireball. It was only thanks to Komadori's quick reflexes that he managed to kick a table up to shield them from the initial blast.

"I am unharmed! But we must get outside!"

They both knew that this was a classic 'smoke them out' ploy but they had no alternative. The two warriors made it to the nearest window and leapt out, landing in a half-empty pond. Unfortunately, waiting for them outside was another white-cloaked figure, grinning arrogantly as he held another ball-shaped vial in his hand.

"When you reach hell, let them know that it was Chang who sent you!" the man shouted as he hurled the vial at them. It shattered just at the edge of the pond, its blue-liquid contents spilling into the pond, which began freezing the water upon contact.

"Get out!" Sutaakaki cried to her friend as she grabbed the ninja and threw him out of the water just in time. For the warrior princess, however, she quickly found herself frozen in place with the ice solidified around her legs.

"You're mine now!" Komadori growled, unsheathing his sword.

"I think not, but you can have this," Chang replied as he withdrew another vial and hurled it at Komadori's feet. It burst into a white cloud that quickly began to water the ninja's eyes and burn his throat. He coughed loudly, running quickly to get out of the fumes, though even once he was in the clear it continued to burn like liquid flames. "This will finish you off," the alchemist cackled before throwing another vial at the blinded ninja.

But as the glass vial twirled through the air, it was suddenly intercepted by a green fist. It was a shame that Komadori was still too blinded to realize that he had just been saved by the green-skinned protector, Yajuu-kun. "This yours," he simply replied before pitching it right back at the assailant. Its fiery burst ignited the assailant's robes, sending him screaming in panic as the flames climbed up the garments.

But just as the flames were about to meet flesh, a suddenly jet of water doused the man from head to toe. Yajuu-kun looked to see where the water had come from and found yet another assailant – the man in the teal robe. Held firmly within his white-gloved hand were five large charms carved on bamboo sheets, each one glowing with a faint aura.

"What would you do without me Chang?" the man asked rhetorically.

"Just kill them Jumon!"

"I was getting to that," the sorcerer replied as the five charms flew from his hand and arranged themselves in a circle before him. One of the charms moved into the center of the circle and all five began to glow a bright red. Though Yajuu-kun had little knowledge about magic, he knew enough to know that glowing red things were usually bad. The geyser of fire that shot forth from the charms proved him right, scorching the earth and trees and just narrowly missing the young monk.

Yajuu-kun, at a major disadvantage of range, quickly plucked a broken piece of the shrine from the ground and sent it flying towards Jumon. The floating charms shifted position and this time a glowing white barrier appeared before the sorcerer, deflecting the rock harmless away.

"Not good," Yajuu-kun muttered, back-flipping over a few tossed vials and shots of flame before landing next to the nearly-recovered ninja. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Komadori said between coughs. "Go help Sutaakaki."

Yajuu-kun needn't help much at all as Sutaakaki had already taken the liberty to use her time to chisel her way free using her katana. By the time Komadori had given the order to assist, she was already climbing out of pond, wet, cold, and ready to exact revenge.

"There are only two of them, we can take them easily," Sutaakaki said as she joined her friends and readied for battle.

"Make that three actually," Kei's voice spoke up as he emerged around a corner at the rear flank. "And we're more than a match for the likes of you," he added as his gauntlets began to glow brightly. Directing an open palm towards Komadori, an intense beam of energy shot forth from Kei's gauntlet, which the ninja just narrowly eluded.

"Enough of this; just kill them!" Komadori shouted as the three warriors charged in opposite directions. Komadori turned and charged towards Jumon, while Yajuu-kun headed for Kei, and Sutaakaki prepared to attack Chang. It was a showdown of might versus magic.

Diving and rolling under a blast of lightning, Komadori closed in on Jumon quickly but found that his sword was no match for the sorcerer's energy shield. It clashed against the energy field as though were made of solid stone; even his strongest blows left not a mark on the sorcerer and left his hands aching from the impacts. He wasn't about to give up but as he readied his next strike the charms shuffled and a blast of wind blew the ninja several feet away.

Yajuu-kun, however, was having more luck with his opponent than his ninja compatriot. He easily jumped and weaved past the sorcerer's energy blasts, getting in close where the once again had no problem twisting around two more close-range blasts before delivering a staggering series of jabs and elbow strikes to knock Kei over. He tried to finish off the evil man with a blow on the ground but Kei was able to roll away and spring back to his feet, resulting in Yajuu-kun simply putting his fist into about a foot of earth. The monk was just about ready to strike again when a certain ninja soared in from behind and crashed into him.

Sutaakaki's fight was less of a show-down and more of a stand-off with both combatants eyeing each other carefully with their weapon-of-choice in hand. Both knew that a mistake on their part would give the other all the needed opportunity to finish them off, so both were holding back and trying to trick the other into throwing away the first strike. Fortunately for Chang, the sound of Komadori and Yajuu-kun colliding provided all the distraction he needed as the warrior princess' attention was drawn away from him. However, Sutaakaki realized her mistake quick enough to dive out of the way of the exploding vial. It was more of a frantic, face-first-into-the-ground kind of dive, far from the graceful tuck-and-roll that she would've preferred. It left her vulnerable and exposed. She gambled on her only chance of keeping the man from throwing a second vial; she focused her emotions and loosed another green energy bolt at Chang. The only person more surprised than the man it struck was Sutaakaki, who hadn't expected it to work twice in two days. Either she was finally getting the hang of things or the gods were really smiling on her today.

Scurrying back to her feet, Sutaakaki headed for Jumon and Kei to protect her friends. Kei was the closest so she struck at him first, though her blade met only his gauntlet with a loud clash. The countering punch knocked the sword straight from her hand and while she was able to block a couple of the following strikes, Kei quickly plowed through her defenses, knocking her senseless with several jabs and hooks before sending her crashing to the ground with a close-range energy blast.

"That was just pathetic," Kei scoffed as he charged up a second blast. Just as he was about to unleash the gauntlets' energy, a beam of dark, shadowy energy suddenly struck the sorcerer to the ground with tremendous force. Everyone there was stunned at the sudden energy blast, looking to the nearby higher ground where Karasu stood. A dark aura surrounded the miko, her eyes shone a brilliant white, and gripped between two fingers was a charm script, which the aura surrounded the most vibrantly.

"Hands off my friends," she warned sternly.

"Hmph, you think you're little o-fuda is any match for me?" Jumon scoffed as his charms began to circle in front of him.

"Charms don't make the mage."

"Nope, but they do help!" With that a bolt of electricity flew from one of the cards, quickly followed by a blast of flame and several spear-like icicles. However, the same black energy that had knocked down Kei moments earlier appeared again, this time forming a wall in front of Karasu where it was able repelled all of Jumon's magic. Chang tried to lob several explosive vials over the energy shield but Karasu saw the attack coming and redirected the energy field to intercept the vials. The black energy surrounded the grenades, seemingly catching them, and then launched them off into the woods where the exploded harmlessly away from them.

"Komadori!" Karasu shouted to get her friend's attention. "Get your friend and Yajuu-kun and get out of here quickly."

"Are you crazy? We can't leave with them!" Komadori immediately protested.

"I'm about to lose my temper Komadori."

That reason alone was more than enough for Komadori to want to get as far away from the shrine as possible. He quickly helped Yajuu-kun back to his feet and Sutaakaki joined them as they retreated back to Karasu's side. Obviously Jumon and the others weren't keen on the idea of their targets escaping but when they tried to make a move, black energy barriers were erected to halt their movements. Karasu was clearly intent on dealing with the assailants personally.

"This is supposed to be a place of peace!" Karasu shouted bitterly, her eyes glowing ever brighter. "Yet you people keep insisting on bringing your petty wars and senseless violence here. If you wish to this madness, then this place will be your grave!"

"Do you think you can intimidate us?" Kei replied defiantly. "Do you expect us to be scared?"

"No…I expect you to die."

* * *

"Are you sure this is wise?" Sutaakaki asked as the trio raced as fast as their legs would carry them away from the shrine.

"Trust me when I say that you do not want to see Karasu when she's pissed," Komadori answered, actually sounding a little bit scared when he spoke. Sutaakaki's curiosity would not have to wait very long as an intense light suddenly arose from the shrine, bringing about a false dawn upon the landscape. The three heroes stopped in their tracks, looking awe-struck back at the light. The shrine, far the distance, was engulfed in a blue sphere of light that shot like a geyser into the sky. It sounded like a thunderstorm, bottled into one loud, ominous rumble, that peaked when a deafening boom that sent a shockwave through the entire forest and immediately floored the trio. The trees flexed and crackled under the shockwave, many of them losing whole branches before the earth seemed to fall back into a peaceful tranquility.

There wasn't even a chirping insect to break the silence.

Sutaakaki was the first to break into a spring back to the shrine, clearly worried about the fate of their selfless companion. What she found was just as stunning as the blast itself. Half of what was left of the shrine had been completely leveled by the shockwave, now lying in broken piles of stone and wood. At the very epicenter of the blast was Karasu, collapsed onto her knees but appearing to be otherwise unharmed by the ordeal. Every tree within fifty feet of the miko had been stripped off their leaves and branches, leaving behind only ashen husks of their former glory. Even the earth itself had been blasted into a smooth, concave crater around the collapsed maiden.

"Karasu!" Sutaakaki called out as she rushed to the girl's side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…" she replied in an exhausted tone. "I just…overdid it a bit."

"A bit?"

"Okay, a lot. It felt rather…therapeutic."

Slowly, Karasu was helped back to her feet, at which point she took a better look at the damage she had caused. The shrine she had been so adamant in protecting had been half-destroyed because of her. She let out a quiet, disappointed sigh, before casting her eyes on what was left of the people who had set her off in the first place. All that remained were their charred robes, which lay surrounded by piles of ashes and bits of metal.

"So much for protecting the shrine," Karasu said idly.

"What did you do?" Sutaakaki asked.

"You're better off not knowing," she answered before walking off towards some of the less-damaged sections of the shrines. "I…I need a few minutes alone. I have to figure out what I'm going to do now." None of the others objected and watched in silence as she disappeared into the only still-standing building of the shrine.

"What's going to happen to her now?" asked the concerned princess.

"Shrine gone. No use staying," Yajuu-kun replied.

"I suppose this means we will need to continue on to Kai now," Sutaakaki said with reluctance. She felt responsible for the loss of Karasu's shrine and she didn't want to just leave her newfound friend alone to a ruined home.

"Maybe she could come with us," Komadori suggested. Since they were responsible for the loss of her home, it made only sense for them to help her find a new one. They waited patiently for almost twenty minutes before Karasu finally emerged from the building, looking quite concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Keikoku isn't dead."

"What do you mean?"

"As in your little stunt didn't kill him and now he's stronger than before."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know yet…but that's what I'm going to find out," Karasu explained as she headed over to the ashen remains of her enemies. She sifted through the robes and dust before finally pulling out the five charms that Jumon had used. "We're to head west to the Tamba province."

"West?"

"Tamba?"  
"We?"

"Yes – all of us."

"How do you…I mean, what makes you say we should head west?" Sutaakaki asked, sounding the most confused of the trio.

"Because the messengers of Inari told me," Karasu simply replied, her tone stern with authority. "We are to head west to Tamba because something terrible is about to happen there and we'll be needed there."

The miko didn't even wait for the others as she started off back towards the mountain path that would take her westbound. Yajuu-kun didn't wait for very long as he followed after her – the reasons mattered not to him for his place was by her side. Only Komadori and Sutaakaki were left wondering if they should follow their stern, albeit enigmatic, friend.

"You never mentioned she spoke with the spirits so well."

"They've never really said anything this explicit before," Komadori said, a little disconcerted by Karasu's news. If she was right, then the only thing for him to do was to continue his original mission, even if he had promised to help get Sutaakaki back to Kai. "I think we should go."

"Why?"

"I trust her."

"Then I shall go with you – home can wait."

* * *

**History Behind the Story:**

An o-fuda is a type of talisman offered at Shinto shrines. Made from a number of different materials ranging from paper or hemp to wood and metal, these talismans are inscribed with the name of a kami or a kami's representative. They are said to bring about good fortune or protection for a family. In fiction, they are often inscribed with spells or holy magic.

Inari is the Japanese kami of rice, fertility, agriculture, industry, worldly success, and foxes. A popular deity, Inari has around 32,000 shrines in Japan dedicated to its worship.


	7. A Clan's Future

**Chapter Seven: A Clan's Future**

A thick mist surrounded her, stretching in all directions into the dark veil of the horizon that seemed to enshroud the entire landscape. The frigid night air left an unsettling numbness in her entire being and her chilled breath hung in the air as though frozen in time. But what disturbed the normally hardened Kurokaki the most was what surrounded her. It was the unmistakable field of Nagashino; it was an image that scarred her mind as though it were etched with a dagger by Keikoku himself. The ground itself was painted black with blood, not that one could really tell with the number of dead that carpeted the fields. Stretched before her was an entire generation of training, discipline, and devotion, and now it was nothing but memories.

And yet she still felt nothing; not a twinge of rage or hate…only emptiness and a pang of uneasiness.

As she waded gingerly through the heaps of dead, she so clearly see their faces, all upturned in her direction; some were sullen, others peaceful, but most were twisted, wretched, and frozen in the last, agonizing moments of life. Many of the faces she recognized with ease; they were friends…comrades-in-arms…people she had known most, if not all, of her life. It was not the first time she had seen a close friend perish for death was no stranger to the warrior princess. But never had it been so many so quickly, nor had it ever been in a battle that was a complete and total catastrophe. When her father had led the army in years past, the battles were often bloody for both sides but they had never been this…senseless. Perhaps the most discouraging part was that she could never look back on this battle, on all the dead, and at least comfort herself in the fact that they had died a good death, a glorious death.

They were cut down in droves like a scythe through grass. They died honourably…but they died for nothing.

As she gazed through the heaps of dead, one body caught her attention out of all of them – a small-figured warrior whose red hair stood out even amongst the bodies. She hurried over to it, not even caring about the bodies she now stepped across as though they were cobblestones.

"Not you too…" she muttered softly as she overturned the face-down body, seeing her sister's blood-stained face. Green, lifeless eyes stared back Kurokaki, a pained, pleading expression still frozen on her sister's face, as if praying for help. Alas, help would never come…war was too cruel a place gentle soul such as hers and Kurokaki could only lament on not having been able to do more to help when she had needed it the most.

"She is dead because of you," a voice suddenly spoke up behind her. She looked behind to see who it was, only to see a giant of a man standing there; a face as stern and stoic as the mountains and hair as red as the rising sun flowing down in a massive beard.

"Father!" she gasped upon recognizing the figure. "I…I tried Father. I couldn't get to her in time…I got shot and-"

"Excuses!" he shouted angrily. "She was at the front of a charge when it should have been you. She was still too young, too inexperienced to lead a battle of such magnitude."

"I thought the charge would work…"

"Hubris!"

"But I-"

"Silence!" he shouted once more, this time so loudly it caused Kurokaki to recoil in fear. "Has everything you learned disappeared? Did you even listen to all my teachings? Have I taught you nothing? Was I just wasting my breath? Even for a woman you were still my most promising student. And you sacrificed a lifetime of knowledge and wisdom for a few trifling moments of pride. Well where is that pride now? What have you got left to show for it all?"

"Father…" the now timid daughter whimpered pathetically.

"You have _nothing_. And that is all you are worth now. If you were my son I would demand you kill yourself right now to cleanse your shame!"

"Stop it…please, no more…" she pleaded once more, now on the verge of tears.

"I entrusted you to protect this clan's future and you have failed miserably!"

"Stop! Please stop!"

"You worthless and pathetic child!"

The next thing Kurokaki knew, her eyes were wide open and staring not at the haunting ghost of her father, but the wooden ceiling of her home. It took a moment of watching the shadows dancing between the wooden beams to realize it was a dream. Though her mind was now calm, she could steal feel her heart pounding against her breastbone but it too would die off in time. Slowly, and with a heavy groan of discomfort, the princess pushed with her good arm to get into a sitting position.

She quickly recognized the décor of her bedchambers: the hanging suits of armour and weaponry, long scrolls depicting past battles stretched across the walls, and a folding screen sat just off to the side, where a silhouette of a familiar figure was cast upon it by the candlelight.

"You're finally awake," spoke the reassuring voice of Fureasei.

It was only then that she realized that she was sitting in her bed completely naked save for the blood-stained bandages that were wrapped around her wounded shoulder and a cold, wet cloth that now sat in her lap having fallen from her head.

"How long was I out?" she groaned weakly.

"Almost a whole day. You came down with a very bad fever shortly after we got you back home."

"Let me guess, you've been there the whole time."

"I figured the healer's time would have been better spent tending to the others rather than watching over you."

"So how bad was it?"

At first, Fureasei's answer was only a heavy sigh, something that he did not do very often. At Nagashino, she had passed out shortly after the order for a general retreat had been given. The full extent of the aftermath, as a result, was unknown to her; alas, in her heart she was already expecting the worst.

"We lost over fifty of our samurai leaders, including Shigetsugu, Masatane, Narishige, Mitsuhide, Masakage, and Nobufuza.

"And the troops?"

"After the retreat was sounded, the enemy cavalry charged out. The retreating frontline troops were quickly overwhelmed and the entire rearguard was wiped out. Roughly two-thirds of our forces are gone now. The cavalry has been effectively wiped out as well."

It was a grim report to an already bleak situation. With its army grossly under-strength and its greatest weapon gone, it left the Andero clan wide open for any other neighbouring daimyo to move in with their own ambitions. While Keikoku had done a good job of absorbing, eliminating, or scaring off most of the daimyo in the central region of Japan, the northern regions had thus far been largely ignored. Of course, there was so much feuding between the daimyo in the north that they were of little threat to Keikoku's expansion. The most northern provinces would likely yield to Keikoku anyways in exchange for continued dominance over their territories, which held little strategic value anyways. Kurokaki only realized all too late that her clan had spent so much time feuding with their rivals that they had left themselves vulnerable to other invaders. How many more troops could they have had at Nagashino had they not engaged in so much campaigns against their rivals in Echigo? Ten thousand more…maybe even twenty thousand. While Keikoku had rounded up dozens of other feudal lords under his banner, his opponents remained divided. Even if they had won at Nagashino, Keikoku's army had tens of thousands of more troops in reserve, while the Andero had only a paltry few thousand. There was no single clan that had the numbers to oppose all of Keikoku's forces.

"What about my sister?" Kurokaki finally spoke up after a long silence.

"We're not sure exactly…a few accounts from the surviving cavalrymen say that she was struck in the helmet early on in the barrage. But with all that chaos, nobody can say with certainty what happened. It is…unlikely she survived."

Komi Andero was well-known by her people for her volatile temper and for being prone to fits of rage and violence. Even amongst the samurai leaders there were quite a few stories of bloodied noses as a result of testing the lady's patience. To Fureasei's surprise, though, the news only prompted more silence rather than the tantrum he had mentally braced for. Through the cloth divider, he could see the shadow of the princess burying her face into her palms, a remorseful gesture he had rarely seen from his longtime friend.

"It isn't your fault," Fureasei quickly spoke up, already suspecting what she was thinking.

"I could've stopped it," she muttered through the hands in response. "I should have seen it coming. I saw the blockades…I knew what they were planning and I said nothing."

"The order to charge came from Lord Andero himself, you and everyone else charged because that is our duty."

"That might be your duty, but mine is to safeguard the future of the Andero clan. I was instructed to, above all else, to watch over Kori and Ryu. Father made me swear to uphold that oath shortly before he died…and I've already failed him…" her tone had transitioned from bitterness back to despair, followed soon by another overwhelming silence. Komi's behaviour was not unfamiliar to Fureasei, though the last time he had seen this pattern of behaviour from Komi when her mother passed away. This was a stark contrast to her response to her father's passing, which she took remarkably well with a renewed sense of purpose, vigor, and determination. She was starting to give into despair – something most contagious after such a disheartening defeat. He had to stamp it out before it could take root and undermine her confidence permanently.

"So what do you intend to do about it now?" Fureasei challenged, trying to rouse her sense of duty and determination. "Are you going to sulk like a child or face it like a warrior?"

"I…I'm not sure," Komi admitted, though it was clear she was already regaining her emotional footing. Each passing moment saw her spirits rising back up. "We…we can't just sit around here waiting for him to finish us off. You're right though; we still have a sizeable army…we still have plenty of fight left in us. By the gods, I'm going to make sure the last thing that bastard sees before he leaves this world is my smiling face!"

"That's more like it," he replied with a smirk. "But we're going to need more than just courage to get through this."

"You're right…and I know exactly what we're going to do. In fact, I'm going to Ryu right now to speak to him," Komi, now infused with a thirst for vengeance, quickly rose to her feet to head off. Her only problem, though, was that her body wasn't as willing as her spirit and the sudden onset of dizziness sent her collapsing straight back into her bed.

"Perhaps I should speak with Lord Andero and ask him to come to you," Fureasei suggested calmly.

"Good idea. I think I'll just lie here for a while…until the world stops spinning so much…"

"A wise decision," said Fureasei as he rose to his feet. He went to speak with Komi's younger brother, Ryu. Though he was the head of the Andero clan, he held his sister with such regard that it was easy to mistaken Kurokaki as the clan's leader. In fact, were it not for her brash mannerisms and her father's sudden death, she could have easily have been chosen to succeed him. As a result, she remained near the head of the armies, disliked but respected by her fellow generals and only her brother's grace really keeping her in such authority. If she were to implement a new plan against Keikoku, she would need to do it through Ryu.

As he walked through the halls of the castle, his path took him past the open door to Kori's bedchambers. Though he hadn't shown it previously, he felt just as guilty about the loss as well. He blamed himself just as much as Komi had for he had been the one who originally suggested putting somebody else at the front of the charge, as he was usually the one given the honour. A discouraged sigh echoed in the empty chamber as he gazed at the empty armour stand that stood at the far side of her room.

He could still fondly recall the many days he returned home from battle to find the princess waiting for him and Komi with fresh tea or sake, the mornings he spent secretly helping Kori put on her armour so she wouldn't have to embarrass herself asking Komi for help, and the long nights he stayed silently by her side after her father's passing. It was hard to imagine life in the castle ever being the same without her. Perhaps it was just the candles…but the castle just seemed to be a bit darker tonight.

Pushing his thoughts and feelings aside, he pushed on towards Ryu's chamber. When Fureasei found the young Lord, he was still pacing back and forth across the balcony, as he had been for the past several hours. Unlike his samurai retainer, who had since changed into a simple red and green kimono, he was still wearing the same garbs and coat as he had at Nagashino.

"Please tell me you have not been doing that all night," Fureasei commented to get his Lord's attention.

"What?" Ryu replied, surprised as his retainer's sudden return. "Oh, uh…no, I haven't. I've also been pacing along that side of the room…and that side…and just around it in circles aimlessly."

Unlike the bold and confident Komi or the quiet and contemplative Kori, the much younger Ryu was often anxious and he never did a very good job at hiding it. But could one really blame him? Here was a kid who had been given far more power than he was ready for and even he knew it. Even the way his clothes seemed a bit too big for him, leading the clan was a job that required more experience and knowledge than he had. But what was a leader to do? He knew he could not show doubt and hesitation in front of the generals and samurai leaders; most of them had pledged their loyalty to his father or his father's father and any sign of weakness from him could easily cause them to lose their faith and loyalty. Out of all of his retainers, he trusted none more than Fureasei.

"I would recommend you try and get some rest my Lord, the other retainers would be discouraged to see you in such a state."

"I know, I know, I know…" Ryu hurriedly answered, his hands nervously brushing his hair back for the hundredth time. "H-how is Komi fairing?"

"The fever has passed. She is still resting though."

"Is…is she angry?" he asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Not at you if that is what you are thinking," Fureasei reassured him. "She blames herself more than anything."

"Good…that's good, I think." Again, a hand ran through his hair as he resumed his pacing. "I…I don't know what to do anymore Fureasei. I…I can't think at all. How did it all…where did it all go wrong? How could it have gone so horribly wrong? If father had been there…"

Having quickly grown tired of his Lord's constant pacing, Fureasei promptly took the daimyo by the shoulders and held him firmly in place. "Your father is gone Ryu. There is only you to lead us now and you cannot keep holding yourself to the same expectations as him. You are still a child Ryu; you do not have the wisdom and knowledge that only come with age and experience. You have yet to develop your own tactics and stratagem; your father had little experience with the arquebus and his tactics were not devised to counter them. Take this defeat as a lesson learned and the next time you go to battle you will have the wisdom to overcome that challenge."

"You…you really think so?"

"Above all else, the people of the Andero clan have been survivors…and you will prove to be no less."

"I…I guess you're right," Ryu said after a short pause and a quiet sigh. He seemed reluctant to believe Fureasei's words but the samurai knew he would come around eventually. At the very least, Ryu was less anxious now.

"Now, if you are feeling up to it, your sister would like an audience with you. Apparently she is devising a plan for redemption against Keikoku."

"She is? Already?"

"You know how she gets when seeks retribution against someone."

* * *

**Four Days Later**

"This plan of yours is just inviting another disaster," a retainer remarked. Ryu, accompanied by Kurokaki, Fureasei, and a few other retainers, were on horseback holding a position in a small stretch of lowland just a day's ride from their castle. There was little more than fields and a few scattered trees on all sides of them and they sat at the lowest point where they were most vulnerable to an ambush. Despite the retainer's remarks, none of the others seemed overly concerned about their situation.

"It's a good thing we didn't ask for you opinion then," Kurokaki remarked with only a thinly-veiled tone of contempt.

"You didn't need to come out with us," Ryu, whose horse stood next to Komi's, whispered over to her. "You should be at home resting."

"Pain is just an abstract," Komi rebutted, though wincing slightly when her thoughts became focused on her injury. "The less I think about it the better I'll be. Besides, my place is here."

"Do we even know if they'll be here?" the same retainer spoke, once again voicing his disapproval. The others ignored him still as they trusted in Ryu's judgment, unaware that it was really Komi's idea.

"They will come," Ryu reassured him, though he immediately leaned over and whispered, "they are coming, right?"

"Trust me. He'll be here."

The next two hours would seem to drag on for an eternity. Even the doubtful retainer quickly grew tired of questioning Ryu and fell silent. They were all anxious, save for Komi, who remained ever confidant in herself. However, patience would eventually start to wear thin even amongst the more trusting retainers and dissent would start to surface as the sun sank into the horizon.

"This is pointless!" the doubtful retainer finally shouted. "I am returning to the castle; hopefully it is still standing when I get there."

"Take one step I will see you dead where you stand," Fureasei suddenly spoke up, raising his spear up such that the point was mere inches from the retainer's throat.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"The future of the Andero clan rides on this gesture of faith. We either stand together and live…or we all crumble and die. I will not repeat myself again."

"They're here," Kurokaki announced and putting the hostilities to rest as the group focused their attention to the banners appearing over the ridge. The white banners bore the emblem of the Uesugi clan. Like their own, the party consisted solely of the clan's leader and a handful of retainers. At the very lead was the man known as Heikishou, head of the Uesugi clan, which held dominance over the Echigo province. His short, orange hair topped an experienced but youthful visage and his infamous bow, or yumi, was slung around his shoulder. For years he had done battle with Komi's father and their rivalry was known through the northern half of Japan. The famous Dragon of Echigo now stood before Ryu and his band, a stern, yet strangely pleased look on his face.

Nervously, Ryu moved a step closer and cleared his throat. "Um, greetings Lord Heikishou. I am Ryu Andero and I have asked you here today because-"

"You did not ask for me," Heikishou interrupted, his voice firm and authoritative. A commanding finger immediately pointed towards Komi and beckoned her forward. "You called me here, didn't you?"

The only other person not surprised by how quickly Heikishou spotted the true mastermind was Komi, who confidently strode forward to meet with the Echigo Lord. "As observant as ever Heikishou," she commented.

"I had hoped that the rumours that the Andero clan was ruined at Nagashino were false…but by the looks of it, it would seem that your new lord does not possess the same fire as his father."

"Times change…and no star can shine forever. Father's star might have fallen sooner than we would have liked but that does not mean the end of this clan," Komi replied. "But like the times, so too must our perceptions change. It is time for the rivalry between our clans to end…and an alliance to begin."

Heikishou's expression only changed ever so slightly at the proposition, one of contemplation as he eyed the warrior princess carefully. "You did not summon me here in hopes of an alliance; you came because you knew I would agree. How?"

"Because when the Andero clan was feuding with the Hojo clan and we lost all our trade routes, we faced annihilation by starvation. But even without asking, you secretly began to send food shipments to my father. You did this because out of respect for him and it's the same reason why you've never tried to invade after his death. So now I'm asking you, in my father's name, to help preserve this clan and his legacy."

Then suddenly, like a storm parting to reveal the sunlight, the daimyo's visage broke into a joyous grin. "I am glad to see your father's wisdom and judgment was not lost on all of his progeny. It is almost a shame you were not born a son or you would've been as worthy an adversary as he."

"Who says I can't be?" Komi replied with a smirk, which Heikishou returned with a hearty laugh.

"In all honesty, I was already planning to begin marching against Keikoku's territories but with your additional support I believe we would stand a far better chance against him. Perhaps in Keikoku I will find the challenge I have been deprived of for so long."

"Oh trust me, there's no shortage of challenges here."

"Then simply tell me where and when and my army will be there."

* * *

**History Behind the Story**

The rivalry behind Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin (portrayed by Speedy in this story) lasted for more than fourteen years and included five battles at a site known as Kawanakajima. It is said in the fourth battle, Kenshin managed to breach Shingen's camp and attacked him directly, but Shingen was able to fend off the blows using only his iron war fan. Though they were rivals, both held great respect for each other. When the Takeda clan had their salt and rice supplies cut off by other daimyo, Kenshin secretly sent his own salt to the Takeda clan. To that Kenshin famously said, "Wars are to be won with swords and spears, not with salt and rice."


	8. Honour and Duty

**Chapter Eight: Honour and Duty**

**Somewhere in the Tamba Province**

"There must be thousands of them," Sutaakaki whispered as softly as possible, making sure that the words did not escape from beneath the bush she and her friends hid beneath. With Komadori to her right and Yajuu-kun and Karasu to her left, they were barely visible beneath the cloud-covered night sky. The four recently-acquainted friends had been traveling westward undisturbed for almost a week before arriving at their current location, which Komadori guessed to be somewhere on the fringes of the Tamba province. It was a trip that could have been shortened significantly had they not lost their steeds when Karasu leveled most of her shrine when trying to defend it. As such, they've had to make their journey on foot and with little in terms of supplies. Had it not been for Yajuu-kun's surprising aptitude in wilderness survival, though, they would have likely succumbed to hunger long ago.

However, it did not mean that they weren't hungry. The fact that Yajuu-kun was, unsurprisingly, an extremely strict vegetarian meant their diet had consisted mostly of wild nuts, fruits, and berries. Aside from Yajuu-kun, who seemed to have no trouble with the diet, it was barely enough to keep them on their feet, let alone deal with any trouble they might encounter.

And encounter it they did. Thankfully, Komadori was able to keep alert despite his hunger and was able to spot the approaching danger in ample time to take cover. What they found, however, was a lot more trouble than they could hope to deal with. Though prepared to handle anything from small bands of scoundrels to scouting parties sent by Keikoku, they had not expected to encounter an entire army of his men. Sprawled across a large field at the edge of the forest were rows upon rows of tents, campfires, stables, and carts, all meant for one thing – war. Though the main banners flown from the tents belonged to those of Keikoku, there were several smaller banners that bore unfamiliar sigils. Most likely, they were the original banners of the army before they became subjugated to Keikoku's ambition.

"Could they be looking for us?" Komadori suggested.

"I doubt we're that popular," Karasu answered. "Plus they shouldn't have any clue that we've come this way."

"Then they must be here for conquest."

"Are there any heavy-weights in Tamba?" Karasu asked, turning to Sutaakaki, who would be the only person to have any inkling of the larger political landscape. Unfortunately, Karasu would have had more fortune were the older, and vastly more experienced, sister present.

"I'm afraid I do not know. My family did not have many dealings with these regions," Sutaakaki explained. "Could this be why the spirits told us to travel?"

"Can't be a coincidence," Karasu agreed, though reluctantly. "However, I don't see the four of us being capable of stopping a whole army."

"We should move on," Yajuu-kun suggested.

"But...look over there," all eyes set upon the target of the miko's attention, which happened to be the remnants of a large animal that had spent most of the evening roasting over a large fire. Though the fire had died and the men were fed, there was still a fair portion of meat left behind. Aware of what the eyes were seeing, three stomachs let out a faint groan of longing at the thought of the potential prize.

"That's…that's mighty tempting," Komadori remarked, aware that his tongue was already skimming along his lips in anticipation.

"And them?" Yajuu-kun, the only one not tempted by the bounty, said as he pointed out the slumbering ashigaru that lay around the fire pit. It was clear that he did not want to take such a risk, which was understandable considering not only were there sleeping soldiers but an entire camp of hostile troops to potentially contend with. Though all was silent, there was bound to be a sentry or two wandering the perimeter.

"I can get it."

"You certain?"

"I'm a ninja. I think I can sneak past a few sleeping soldiers." Confident in his abilities, the young ninja quickly crawled out from under the bush and sprinted silently across the open field to the outer tents. Since this was an army of conquest, chances were they had been marching for most of the day and combined with a heavy meal meant that most of the soldiers nearby were going to be in a deep slumber. Once he had reached the tents, though, the ninja surprised his friends with the least expected tactic to employ – he walked out casually from behind cover and headed straight for the fire pit.

For a ninja, darkness and confusion were some of the greatest assets on the field for her could literally hide in the plain sight. At a distance, it would be nigh-impossible to tell who Komadori was or was not and so long as he walked about as though he belonged in the camp then any casual observer would dismiss him as just another soldier returning to sleep about a quick relief in the forest. The object was to get in and out quickly so nobody would get curious. His stride was calm but seemingly sluggish, aided by a stretch of the arms as though he were yawning in a half-awake stupor, and he had left behind his weapons and a few pieces of clothing so that it looked like he had just woken from his sleep. Upon reaching his objective, the ninja deftly tip-toed around the slumbering soldiers and proceeded to slice off the largest slab of meat he could find. With the objective in hand, it was simply a matter of retracing his steps in just as calm, albeit slightly faster, manner.

However, just as Komadori was reaching the outer ring of tents, out stepped a person from around the bend and the ninja was face-to-face with a young man who was clearly well-armed and equally surprised to see him. Wearing so much black, Komadori barely even saw the man before the near-collision. Though the man might have been half-dressed, he still had a pair of swords sheathed at his side in the traditional X-pattern, though instead of the smaller wakizashi he had a second katana. Judging by the craftsmanship of the few pieces of armour he wore, not to mention his confident posture, Komadori was willing to bet his life that he was staring at a samurai.

Since running would immediately give him away, Komadori's only hope was to bluff his way through this. With an army of such size, it was highly unlikely that any one person would be able to recognize every other individual there. Komadori stood out no more than the man he stood across from; most ashigaru were only provided armour, not the clothing they wore underneath it and who wore their armour to sleep? Once again, the ninja just had to act calm and pretend like he belonged.

"S-sorry sir," Komadori pretended to stammer, bowing his head apologetically.

"You're up awfully late kid," the man replied. "What are you doing wandering about?"

It was hard to come up with an excuse when you were carrying a slab of meat in your hands. Not many excuses would explain that, after all. Thankfully, though, a lie that needed some effort to be discovered was more likely to be bought as truth so Komadori said nothing as though he really were guilty of something. The man took a long at the ninja, then to the bounty in his hands, and then to the fire pit some distance past him before 'cleverly' figuring the answer out.

"Ah, the old-timers not willing to part ways with their meal, huh?" the man said smugly, figuring this to be another case of the 'big and tough veterans not sharing with the smaller youngsters.' "Guess it's their fault for not keeping a better eye on their bounty."

"Uh, y-yeah," said the ninja sheepishly.

"Then eat up and get some rest. We've got a fort to overrun tomorrow and you're going to need every bit of strength you've got." Komadori took careful note of that information. If there was going to be an attack tomorrow then there had to be a settlement of some sort nearby. If he could warn the people there in advance of the upcoming attack, not to mention give some details to as to the extent of their forces, it might help out whoever was going to be on the receiving end. It might not change the course of the battle but every little opportunity to be a thorn in side of Keikoku's ambition was worth it. "And you know, since all that food is probably going to go to waste by morning…" the man continued, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "I think I might just have to give some of it a better home. Tell you what, if you didn't see anything tonight, I didn't either."

That was all the reassurance Komadori needed. Nodding and thanking the man as graciously as a 'kid soldier' would, the ninja continued on his way, waiting until the man was too distracted taking a slab of meat before bolting as fast as his legs could carry him. Perhaps it was the hunger or perhaps it was the close brush with danger but victory tasted sweet for the young heroes that night. It was a shame, though, that they could not spend more time savouring their victory but instead had to continue on their way with all haste in hopes of staying alive when the war machine started up in the morning

As Komadori had expected, it was only a few hours' trek to the objective, or at least what he could only presume to be the army's objective. Though none of the four could appreciate the fact at the time, the path they had been traveling along ran alongside a major trade route running through the Tamba province, connecting it to its neighbours both to the east and to the south. Strategically, the route held little value to any army for the region was littered with valleys and large hills that created a number of natural causeways through the terrain. The road, and the trade route, however, held economic importance to anybody who had ambitions of maintaining a firm control over the entire nation. Thus, like many trade routes, there was a sturdy fortification that had been constructed over the decades to ensure that the route remained protected. From that fortification grew a village, which the four travelers now found standing before them.

It was a fairly small village and it could have easily been mistaken as simply an expansion of the fortification's garrison. The fortress, if one could really call it that, was nothing remarkable and were it not for the limited experience of the group it would have appeared just like any other simple fort built by traders and local militia for protection as no major army was stationed close enough to offer any real support. It had relatively small walls made of stone with no towers and only a simply parapet, a sizeable wooden gate that could withstand only the simplest of siege weapons, and a noticeable absence of any large-scale defensive structures. It had the hallmarks of a fortification built by peasants who only had thieves and bandits to deal with. With a small river running along its northern border and the valley wall along the south, the only means to continue through the trade route was to be granted admittance by the occupiers of the fort. For Keikoku, ensuring the route's potential future use meant removing the occupiers or the fortifications as a whole.

Given the fort's size, and the size of the army he bore witness earlier, Komadori could not initially fathom how anybody could consider this to be a serious obstacle. Even a modestly experienced field officer would give the fort about as much consideration as one would give a flimsy wooden door. The front door looked barely capable enough to withstand a sizeable battering ram, let alone a twelve-pound iron shot. Only after a second glance at the some of the banners being flown exposed who had currently taken residence. One of the larger banners depicted a black, three-legged bird, which may well signify absolutely nothing or it could be what they were looking for this entire journey.

"Just follow my lead," Komadori instructed, motioning to the others to fall in behind him as he headed out onto the path.

"You sure it's a good idea to just walk up to a heavily armed fortress?" Karasu asked, referring to the sentries standing atop the walls. While the path was kept well lit by several torches, only a few small lanterns provided any sort of illumination for the people on the walls. Still, the silhouettes of several soldiers could be seen, all carrying arquebuses. Her friend seemed confidant, though, or perhaps just head-strong. When Yajuu-kun followed after the ninja, she was finally convinced and took up the rear.

Komadori knew that it wouldn't take very long for the sentries to notice their arrival, especially on such a well-lit path. He made sure his pace was calm and obvious so the sentries wouldn't think he was part of the army that there were defending against. The disadvantage of a matchlock at night, though, came from the obvious problem of using a weapon that required a lit match to operate. Once the sentries took notice, prepped their weapons, and readied their weapons against them, Komadori could easily see every sentry that was capable of firing upon them. He may have been confident but he wasn't brazen enough to approach a fort without contingency plans.

"Halt! Who goes there?" shouted one of the guards.

"My name is Komadori, son of Daisuke Wayanabe, of the Ikko-ikki of Nagashima. You are of the Saiga Ikki, correct?"

"And what is it to you?"

"I wish to speak with Saiga Magoichi."

"Wait, you mean _the_ Saiga Magoichi is here?" Sutaakaki interjected in a whisper.

"More like _a_ Saiga Magochi is here," Komadori corrected. "Or at least I hope."

"And why would he wish to grant you an audience?" the guard spoke up once more.

"Well, we did just pass by a few thousand armed soldiers who made camp a few hours down the road. I doubt they're just here for the scenic view but we can go if you guys don't want to talk. In fact, I probably wouldn't want to stick around here when morning comes."

A willingness to walk away was often an easy way to make a proposal more enticing. Sure enough, after a brief pause the main gates swung open with a loud, rusty groan. Again, the four were greeted with more soldiers armed with more arqubuses armed and ready in the event that this was all just a clever ruse to get the door open (not that a cannonball wouldn't have been faster and easier). At the center of the soldiers, though, was a man who stood out markedly from the others. With a towering build and a dark complexion, his posture alone signified that he held authority over those who stood around him. He had the look of an experienced ronin – his armour was a brilliant silver and blue, though it was clear that the armour had seen far more battles than even the current wearer had. The plates were scratched, dented, and had long since lost their silvered finish. Even the face mask bore major scars with half of its entirety, having been broken apart, leaving only a jagged piece covering the left half of the man's face.

"So you're Wayanabe's student, huh?" the man said after taking a long, scrutinizing look at Komadori.

"And you must Saiga Magoichi," he replied.

"Everybody just calls me Saibo-gu. I'm told you have some information on some potential guests you're willing to share."

"If by 'guests' you mean guys with guns and spears."

"Let's talk inside."

Though Karasu still had her reservations, she quietly followed her comrades into the fort, glancing only briefly over her shoulder as the gates closed behind her. The thought of hanging around in a fort when an army was about to march all over the next day was not an appealing thought to her, regardless of how much she would have liked to a nuisance to Keikoku. Komarodi may have had his reasons to choosing this course but she didn't quite agree. It may have been a coincidence that she had directed them straight to this fort but it didn't necessarily mean that they had to be involved in this fight. She didn't get a very good feeling from Saibo-gu either but she had a distrust of most soldiers.

Saibo-gu led the group to one of the largest buildings in the fort, which Komadori could only assume served as the main garrison. There were a number of soldiers resting and an equal number patrolling and working outside. Obviously Saibo-gu knew that an attack was imminent and had been doing all he could to prepare for it. However, it did beg the question – why stay? This was the least ideal place to make a stand against an army. The landscape may create a natural chokepoint but that would matter for little once the cannonballs started flying.

Walls were a great asset for any fortification in the old days. Centuries of warfare revolved around fortified walls protecting cities and key locations. Enemy troops would charge the castle, try to climb the walls or break down the gates and defenders would rain hell down upon them. Big, talls walls could keep even the largest of armies at bay and turn an assault into a drawn-out siege. However, with the advent of gunpowder and the new artillery it brought, the traditional box-shaped fortress became nothing more than an oversized coffin. Big stone walls shattered when hit by a cannonball.

"You wanted to talk about guys with guns and spears…well, start talking," Saibo-gu said as they arrived in a large room that served as a sort of command center for the fort. A large table in the center had a map of the surrounding landscape and it was where the five sat down for their discussion.

"On our way here, we passed by one of Keikoku's armies camped out here near the forest," Komadori explained, taking a nearby piece of black stone and set it down on the approximate coordinates on the map. "Judging by the number of tents, I'd ballpark the size at about twenty-five hundred to three thousand troops. I didn't see many stables so it's probably infantry only. I did, however, also see about a dozen pieces of field artillery."

As it turned out, the ninja's food run into the enemy camp had yielded a lot more than just a slab of meat.

"Get a good look at these cannons?"

"Short-range, small caliber cannons, likely drawn by two horses. It's not much but it'll put holes in the wall pretty quickly."

"Hmm…" Saibo-gu stroked his chin lightly as he processed the information. "Small is good. I think we can handle small."

"I didn't see any big cannons on the wall coming in," Karasu remarked, sounding, understandably, pessimistic.

"Don't have any. We do have those however." A simple point of the figure directed the four's attention over an array of small items scattered across the floor.

Sutaakaki was the first to realize what they were and gasped, "Those are…"

"Really small."

"It's not the size that counts – it's how you use them."

Karasu's comment was no understatement of the size as the four stared at almost two dozen very small pieces of artillery. Though they could have easily have been mistaken for strange urns, the small iron objects were, in fact, mortars – small, hand-portable mortars. They barely went half-way up a person's shins and lobbed shots not much larger than a person's fist but what Saibo-gu's arsenal lacked in power, it made up for in volume.

The fundamental difference between a cannon and a mortar was the angle it fired at - a cannon fired at very low angles while a mortar lobbed shots at steep ones. Barring a strong headwind, the best angle to take any shot in order to maximize distance was at forty-five degrees. However, there are always trade-offs. Shooting at low angles may have less range but the shot got to the target quickly and one could aim by simply looking down the barrel. At a high angle, though, one could lob shells further distances, even behind cover, but the shots took forever to hit the ground and aiming was difficult even for an experienced gunner. This made a mortar great for knocking out targets that didn't move such as an enemy's cannon and with the greater range one could target opposing cannons before it could be deployed. A cannon's carriage was typically its weakest point next to the gun crew itself. Dropping a few shots through the carriage would render it completely useless. Hitting the cannon, of course, would be the tricky part and that's where the volume of fire came in. Much like a volley of arqubues, Saibo-gu planned to take on the enemy artillery by lobbing dozens of shells and hoping one or two hit. The small caliber of the mortars reduced how much gunpowder and iron he needed to use so he could keep the shots going. It was a risky plan and one that counted on every bit of Saibo's expertise with artillery and even with the best of results it still left him with three thousand soldiers to contend with and no cannons to thin their ranks.

"That's not going to stop them in the least," Karasu said once Saibo-gu had gone over his mortar strategy. "Even if you disable their artillery you still have the ashigaru."

"We'll hold them at the walls as best we can. My men are well-trained with their guns and are more than used to fighting against bad odds."

"And how many do you even have?"

"A hundred and twenty, not including the ones that will be operating the mortars."

"That's it?" Karasu scoffed, though not sounding very surprised at the small number. "We're about to be outnumbered almost thirty to one and you call this 'bad odds?' These are horrible odds."

"I've been fighting against Keikoku for almost five years now, how much military experience do you have?" Saibo shouted angrily.

"Don't need military experience to know what a one-sided fight is. This isn't going to be a fight, it will be a slaughter!"

"Okay, I think that's enough Karasu," Komadori quickly interjected. "We came here to help not to smash any hope."

"_You_ came here to tell them what you knew. You've done that. We should leave before we're killed along with the rest of these idiots." Karasu did have a valid point but Komadori wasn't about to just walk out when these people needed help. The Saiga Ikki was a part of the same Ikko-ikki resistance that Nagashima stood for.

"You never mentioned why you were here," Komadori said calmly, turning his attention to Saibo and ignoring the miko for a brief moment.

Saibo's expression seemed to soften for a momentary at the mention of his purpose. He let out a quiet sigh as though recalling a memory he wasn't on friendly terms with. "That army you passed just recently razed a village belonging to daimyo that's opposing Keikoku's expansion. A lot of people were killed…but a lot of people also managed to make it out of there alive."

"And now they're here," Komadori said, piecing the puzzle together.

Saibo nodded grimly. "They arrived a few days ago – hungry, tired, and a lot of injured people. My people received a message for help so I took what people I could round up on short notice and got here as fast as I could. This is the only safe haven for them. There's a larger castle nearby but it's a few days march from here. If we pull out now, that army will catch up to those people and they won't stand a chance. I'm not going to let these people down."

"How many people?"

"A couple hundred…mostly women and children. We're already in the process of getting them ready to continue down the road and we're going to buy them as much time as we can. It may not be enough but…it's the only thing we can do."

Karasu had operated under the presumption that this had been merely a fool-hearted stand against Keikoku under a misguided notion of honour or defiance. Knowingly standing in the way of a nigh-unstoppable war machine was nothing short of complete idiocy. Standing in front of that plow to stop it from running through hundreds of innocent people was still idiocy but at least it was noble idiocy. As a miko, her job had always been to help people, not to fight wars and die needlessly; the samurai could have that glory all to themselves. Komadori seemed intent on staying, as did Sutaakaki but they were both warriors and this was right at home for them. Yajuu-kun, she knew full well, would go wherever she went. Everything told her that staying was a bad choice but the spirits of Inari made it clear that her destiny was with Komadori and she trusted the spirits more than her own selfish sense of self-preservation.

Not to mention letting innocent people die was not something that sat well with her conscience.

"A few mortars and a handful of guns aren't going to hold off an army," Karasu reminded them. "I have an idea though. Do you have any flour?"

* * *

**History Behind the Story**

Cyborg (Saibo-gu) was referred to by the name of Saiga Magoichi. This was actually a title held by the leader of the Saiga Ikki, most notably of whom was Suzuki Shingehide. He was well-known for equipping his armies with arquebuses and his personal banner included a yatagarasu, the three-legged bird of myth. His forces fought against Oda during the siege of the Ikko-ikki's main fortress of Ishiyama Hongan-ji. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he is said to have lived the rest of his days as a ronin.


End file.
